Difference between revisions of "We Don't Open Anywhere: Miki Kouzuki's Closed World (II)"
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− | ==Miki Kouzuki's Closed World (II)== |
+ | == Miki Kouzuki's Closed World (II) == |
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+ | After Kouta left, I simply laid on my bed in a daze for a while. The sun had long since set by the time I finally began moving again and turned to the mirror on my desk to put up my unfastened hair. But I couldn’t will myself to do it. The red hair band I had used for for so long felt like it contained half of my self — well, that was an exaggeration, but it definitely felt like it had been part of me. That was why it had been so steeped in my magic. Kouta wasn’t the only one under its influence; it had also drained my desire to replace it. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN>After Kouta left, I simply laid on my bed in a |
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− | daze for a while. The sun had long since set by the time I finally began moving |
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− | again and turned to the mirror on my desk to put up my unfastened hair. But I |
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− | couldn’t will myself to do it. The red hair band I had used for for so long |
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− | felt like it contained half of my self — well, that was an exaggeration, but it |
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− | definitely felt like it had been part of me. That was why it had been so |
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− | steeped in my magic. Kouta wasn’t the only one under its influence; it had also |
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− | drained my desire to replace it.</span></p> |
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+ | I decided to give up on the ponytail and leave my hair like this for a while. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
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− | decided to give up on the ponytail and leave my hair like this for a while.</span></p> |
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+ | Collapsing onto my bed again, I ruminated on what Kouta had said to me. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Collapsing |
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− | onto my bed again, I ruminated on what Kouta had said to me.</span></p> |
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+ | <b><i>I</i></b><i> have to wonder, why do you spend so much time confirming my feelings without voicing your own even once?</i> |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I</span></i></b><i><span |
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− | lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> have to wonder, why do you |
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− | spend so much time confirming my feelings without voicing your own even once?</span></i></p> |
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+ | His expression had been the same as always, and his voice had been gentle, but he had clearly been reproaching me. It was the first time he had done so. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>His |
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− | expression had been the same as always, and his voice had been gentle, but he |
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− | had clearly been reproaching me. It was the first time he had done so.</span></p> |
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+ | <i>He’ll just come to hold you in contempt, and that’ll be that. Later.</i> |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><i><span lang=EN style='background:white'>He’ll just come to |
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− | hold you in contempt, and that’ll be that. Later.</span></i></p> |
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+ | Yahara had been right after all. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Yahara |
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− | had been right after all.</span></p> |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I’m a |
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− | magus.</span></p> |
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+ | I’m a magus. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>That |
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− | may not be the most accurate way to put it. But I do actually have a special |
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− | power, and I call it magic.</span></p> |
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+ | That may not be the most accurate way to put it. But I do actually have a special power, and I call it magic. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Up |
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− | until I turned ten, I never displayed any external emotions. I was extremely |
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− | shy, never opening my heart up to anyone. By the time I was old enough to |
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− | realize what was going on, my parents had fallen out of love and fought |
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− | frequently enough that we even got complaints from the next neighborhood over. |
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− | They began living separately when I was eight, and they got divorced when I was |
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− | nine. I was an only child, so I didn’t have any siblings that could intervene. |
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− | Back then, the atmosphere in our family always felt like someone had run a fine |
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− | knife through it.</span></p> |
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+ | Up until I turned ten, I never displayed any external emotions. I was extremely shy, never opening my heart up to anyone. By the time I was old enough to realize what was going on, my parents had fallen out of love and fought frequently enough that we even got complaints from the next neighborhood over. They began living separately when I was eight, and they got divorced when I was nine. I was an only child, so I didn’t have any siblings that could intervene. Back then, the atmosphere in our family always felt like someone had run a fine knife through it. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Although |
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− | they were never physically abusive before the divorce, when my mother was in a |
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− | bad mood she would often treat me like I wasn’t there. Even if I cried, she |
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− | wouldn’t pay any attention to me. As this went on, I eventually stopped crying |
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− | altogether, along with laughing. And I didn’t just stop expressing emotions, I |
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− | became numb and stopped feeling them altogether. My unnecessary functions were |
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− | deteriorating.</span></p> |
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+ | Although they were never physically abusive before the divorce, when my mother was in a bad mood she would often treat me like I wasn’t there. Even if I cried, she wouldn’t pay any attention to me. As this went on, I eventually stopped crying altogether, along with laughing. And I didn’t just stop expressing emotions, I became numb and stopped feeling them altogether. My unnecessary functions were deteriorating. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>As you |
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− | would expect, none of my classmates wanted to get close to someone like that, |
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− | so I was alone at school as well. I didn’t talk to anyone at school, nor did I |
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− | at home. That was how I spent my days.</span></p> |
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+ | As you would expect, none of my classmates wanted to get close to someone like that, so I was alone at school as well. I didn’t talk to anyone at school, nor did I at home. That was how I spent my days. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>It was |
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− | like I was invisible. In Japanese class, I wrote poems along those lines as |
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− | well. When I did, my homeroom teacher would give their unaffected impressions, |
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− | usually something along the lines of “What an interesting perspective.” |
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− | ...Notice my cries for help already. Or had they noticed, but ignored them |
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− | after deeming them too much of a bother?</span></p> |
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+ | It was like I was invisible. In Japanese class, I wrote poems along those lines as well. When I did, my homeroom teacher would give their unaffected impressions, usually something along the lines of “What an interesting perspective.” ...Notice my cries for help already. Or had they noticed, but ignored them after deeming them too much of a bother? |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Nobody |
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− | came to my rescue. The only reason I was saved was because I didn’t give up in |
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− | spite of that. I longed for the warmth of others, I yearned for it, and that |
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− | tenacity was what eventually saved me.</span></p> |
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+ | Nobody came to my rescue. The only reason I was saved was because I didn’t give up in spite of that. I longed for the warmth of others, I yearned for it, and that tenacity was what eventually saved me. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>—If |
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− | only I could use magic.</span></p> |
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+ | —If only I could use magic. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
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− | always fantasized about that. If only I could use magic to get along with |
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− | anyone and everyone. If I could use that kind of magic, my parents could get |
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− | back together, and I could laugh along with my friends. Those were kinds of |
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− | ridiculous delusions I entertained.</span></p> |
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+ | I always fantasized about that. If only I could use magic to get along with anyone and everyone. If I could use that kind of magic, my parents could get back together, and I could laugh along with my friends. Those were kinds of ridiculous delusions I entertained. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But |
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− | then one day, magic suddenly stopped being a mere delusion.</span></p> |
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+ | But then one day, magic suddenly stopped being a mere delusion. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Although |
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− | I had noone to talk to, I was always enviously watching my classmates’ |
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− | interactions. Now that I look back at it, I was watching them with an aberrant |
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− | level of concentration.</span></p> |
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+ | Although I had noone to talk to, I was always enviously watching my classmates’ interactions. Now that I look back at it, I was watching them with an aberrant level of concentration. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>As an |
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− | outsider, I calmly observed their interactions. I scanned the patterns of their |
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− | conversations, unconsciously accumulating data.</span></p> |
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+ | As an outsider, I calmly observed their interactions. I scanned the patterns of their conversations, unconsciously accumulating data. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>And |
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− | once I did, I began to understand the regularities therein. What kind of person |
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− | what do what kinds of things to which other people, and how would those people |
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− | react? Ahh, sudden awakenings truly do happen. As if I had learned a new |
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− | language, the way I saw the world shifted.</span></p> |
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+ | And once I did, I began to understand the regularities therein. What kind of person what do what kinds of things to which other people, and how would those people react? Ahh, sudden awakenings truly do happen. As if I had learned a new language, the way I saw the world shifted. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Having |
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− | understood the regularities behind communication, I immediately put this |
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− | knowledge to the test. It took courage to move forward, but my hundreds of |
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− | simulations gave me confidence.</span></p> |
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+ | Having understood the regularities behind communication, I immediately put this knowledge to the test. It took courage to move forward, but my hundreds of simulations gave me confidence. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>And the |
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− | result was — people responded exactly as I expected.</span></p> |
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+ | And the result was — people responded exactly as I expected. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>It felt |
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− | good beyond words.</span></p> |
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+ | It felt good beyond words. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
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− | changed myself through force. My emotions were still weak, but that actually |
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− | worked in my favor. If I didn’t feel anything, then no matter what part I had |
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− | to play it wouldn’t adversely affect me. I was at a little bit of a loss as to |
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− | what to use for my baseline personality, but I found being a cheerful airhead |
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− | to be the most convenient so I eventually settled on that. I was also aware of |
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− | my looks, and took full advantage of them. Personality isn’t a single thing, |
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− | it’s incident to one’s outwards appearance. This can be observed particularly |
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− | strongly when guys are looking at girls. And the same manner of communication |
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− | leaves a different impression on each recipient. There are words that can only |
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− | be said and taboos that can only be broken in certain contexts. I steeled my |
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− | intuition, put that theory into words, and changed it into something I could |
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− | control. </span></p> |
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+ | I changed myself through force. My emotions were still weak, but that actually worked in my favor. If I didn’t feel anything, then no matter what part I had to play it wouldn’t adversely affect me. I was at a little bit of a loss as to what to use for my baseline personality, but I found being a cheerful airhead to be the most convenient so I eventually settled on that. I was also aware of my looks, and took full advantage of them. Personality isn’t a single thing, it’s incident to one’s outwards appearance. This can be observed particularly strongly when guys are looking at girls. And the same manner of communication leaves a different impression on each recipient. There are words that can only be said and taboos that can only be broken in certain contexts. I steeled my intuition, put that theory into words, and changed it into something I could control. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Although |
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− | my good cheer was initially an act, it eventually took root in my personality. |
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− | In much the same way, my lost emotions initially felt like they were drifting |
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− | gently in the air above me but eventually became the real thing.</span></p> |
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+ | Although my good cheer was initially an act, it eventually took root in my personality. In much the same way, my lost emotions initially felt like they were drifting gently in the air above me but eventually became the real thing. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>My days |
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− | became startlingly resplendent, and I was replete.</span></p> |
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+ | My days became startlingly resplendent, and I was replete. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>In my |
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− | greed, I desired even more bliss. I decided to use my powers not just to change |
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− | myself, but to influence those around me as well. </span></p> |
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+ | In my greed, I desired even more bliss. I decided to use my powers not just to change myself, but to influence those around me as well. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>In |
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− | retrospect, I was basically cheating by using it against adolescent girls whose |
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− | egos hadn’t fully developed. My “communication” bordered on brainwashing.</span></p> |
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+ | In retrospect, I was basically cheating by using it against adolescent girls whose egos hadn’t fully developed. My “communication” bordered on brainwashing. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Upon |
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− | accepted my interference and my value system, it became easier for me to |
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− | control someone. In middle school, I had a friend (or so she was perceived by |
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− | those around us) named Youko who I knew so well I could basically control. She |
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− | became an entity dedicated to my convenience, as if she lived solely for my |
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− | sake.</span></p> |
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+ | Upon accepted my interference and my value system, it became easier for me to control someone. In middle school, I had a friend (or so she was perceived by those around us) named Youko who I knew so well I could basically control. She became an entity dedicated to my convenience, as if she lived solely for my sake. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I refer |
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− | to people like her as having taken on my attribute.By using the information |
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− | under my control, I can even manipulate them subconsciously. If I recite an |
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− | incantation, they’ll go so far as to become my swords and shields.</span></p> |
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+ | I refer to people like her as having taken on my attribute.By using the information under my control, I can even manipulate them subconsciously. If I recite an incantation, they’ll go so far as to become my swords and shields. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>That’s |
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− | why I call it magic.</span></p> |
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+ | That’s why I call it magic. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But |
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− | ever since that incident, my magic had been getting cloudier. The incident |
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− | involving a ceremony I couldn’t tell Kouta about.</span></p> |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Although |
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− | I didn’t realize it at the time, it was an experiment.</span></p> |
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+ | But ever since that incident, my magic had been getting cloudier. The incident involving a ceremony I couldn’t tell Kouta about. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I met |
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− | this girl — I don’t know her name, so I’ll call her A — over the internet. I |
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− | knew from her profile that she was interested in magic, so I took action. After |
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− | exchanging LINE IDs with A, we immediately hit it off and began chatting nearly |
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− | every day. </span></p> |
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+ | Although I didn’t realize it at the time, it was an experiment. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I had |
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− | already experienced someone taking on my attribute at school. The next step was |
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− | to find out how much control I could exert over a person, how much magic I |
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− | could use, that I had only ever interacted with online. That was how greedy I |
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− | was when it came to interpersonal relationships.</span></p> |
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+ | I met this girl — I don’t know her name, so I’ll call her A — over the internet. I knew from her profile that she was interested in magic, so I took action. After exchanging LINE IDs with A, we immediately hit it off and began chatting nearly every day. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But the |
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− | experiment ended in failure.</span></p> |
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+ | I had already experienced someone taking on my attribute at school. The next step was to find out how much control I could exert over a person, how much magic I could use, that I had only ever interacted with online. That was how greedy I was when it came to interpersonal relationships. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I had |
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− | planned on controlling her by introducing her to my value system and sharing my |
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− | magical delusions with her. But because I couldn’t meet her in person, small |
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− | misalignments were born. My magic was imperfect.</span></p> |
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+ | But the experiment ended in failure. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>One |
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− | day, A invited me to a magical ceremony. While all this was going on, I was |
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− | studying for high school entrance exams, and I declined her invitation because |
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− | I had a test coming up. But perhaps the true reason I turned her down was because |
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− | I sensed that her delusions were magnifying past the point of no return and |
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− | becoming dangerous.</span></p> |
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+ | I had planned on controlling her by introducing her to my value system and sharing my magical delusions with her. But because I couldn’t meet her in person, small misalignments were born. My magic was imperfect. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>After |
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− | conducting the ceremony on her own, something about A clearly seemed off. Her |
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− | LINE messages became increasingly unintelligible, and when I expressed my |
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− | confusion she became irritated, angry, disappointed, and ultimately ended up |
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− | blocking me. Her social media profiles became full of citations in a language |
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− | only she understood.</span></p> |
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+ | One day, A invited me to a magical ceremony. While all this was going on, I was studying for high school entrance exams, and I declined her invitation because I had a test coming up. But perhaps the true reason I turned her down was because I sensed that her delusions were magnifying past the point of no return and becoming dangerous. |
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− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Then |
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− | she stopped updating her social media altogether.</span></p> |
||
+ | After conducting the ceremony on her own, something about A clearly seemed off. Her LINE messages became increasingly unintelligible, and when I expressed my confusion she became irritated, angry, disappointed, and ultimately ended up blocking me. Her social media profiles became full of citations in a language only she understood. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Worried |
||
− | about her, I took the train three hours to visit the middle school she went to. |
||
− | There, I soon discovered what had happened to her.</span></p> |
||
+ | Then she stopped updating her social media altogether. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>A had |
||
− | killed herself.</span></p> |
||
+ | Worried about her, I took the train three hours to visit the middle school she went to. There, I soon discovered what had happened to her. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>For the |
||
− | first time. For the first time, I began having misgivings about my magic. I had |
||
− | been manipulating people so casually, but was that really something so |
||
− | permissible? Wasn’t it wrong to change people like this? If I hadn’t been |
||
− | around, wouldn’t A still be alive?</span></p> |
||
+ | A had killed herself. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Hesitations |
||
− | like that gradually chipped away at my magic. Magic became more powerful when |
||
− | you accepted it blindly, and weaker when you doubted it. No longer certain that |
||
− | I was in the right, I refrained from using magic and called myself a magus to |
||
− | anyone who would listen, only interacting with people who would approach me in |
||
− | spite of that.</span></p> |
||
+ | For the first time. For the first time, I began having misgivings about my magic. I had been manipulating people so casually, but was that really something so permissible? Wasn’t it wrong to change people like this? If I hadn’t been around, wouldn’t A still be alive? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But |
||
− | then I found out about Kouta Hiiragi.</span></p> |
||
+ | Hesitations like that gradually chipped away at my magic. Magic became more powerful when you accepted it blindly, and weaker when you doubted it. No longer certain that I was in the right, I refrained from using magic and called myself a magus to anyone who would listen, only interacting with people who would approach me in spite of that. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>He |
||
− | caught my attention from the moment I first laid eyes on him. As I watched him |
||
− | merge seamlessly into his environment, nearly transparent, I thought that he |
||
− | reminded me of mineral water.</span></p> |
||
+ | But then I found out about Kouta Hiiragi. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Even if |
||
− | I was restraining myself from using magic, Kouta alone I couldn’t overlook. He |
||
− | was simply in too much danger. I don’t know how he looked to everyone else, but |
||
− | to me he looked like he was strolling down the streets of Johannesburg with |
||
− | rolls of banknotes pasted all over him.</span></p> |
||
+ | He caught my attention from the moment I first laid eyes on him. As I watched him merge seamlessly into his environment, nearly transparent, I thought that he reminded me of mineral water. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I had |
||
− | to protect him!</span></p> |
||
+ | Even if I was restraining myself from using magic, Kouta alone I couldn’t overlook. He was simply in too much danger. I don’t know how he looked to everyone else, but to me he looked like he was strolling down the streets of Johannesburg with rolls of banknotes pasted all over him. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I was |
||
− | overcome with a strong sense of duty. I willing to do whatever it took to |
||
− | protect him. It was so strong, I didn’t even mind if I had to offer him my |
||
− | chastity.</span></p> |
||
+ | I had to protect him! |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But |
||
− | taking a step back now and reconsidering, why had I been so fervent?</span></p> |
||
+ | I was overcome with a strong sense of duty. I willing to do whatever it took to protect him. It was so strong, I didn’t even mind if I had to offer him my chastity. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Once I |
||
− | got my thoughts in order, the cause became clear. After driving A to her death, |
||
− | I had likely been trying to atone. And Kouta had been a suitable individual. By |
||
− | saving Kouta, I could reaffirm both myself and my magic.</span></p> |
||
+ | But taking a step back now and reconsidering, why had I been so fervent? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>It was |
||
− | all for my own sake.</span></p> |
||
+ | Once I got my thoughts in order, the cause became clear. After driving A to her death, I had likely been trying to atone. And Kouta had been a suitable individual. By saving Kouta, I could reaffirm both myself and my magic. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>It was |
||
− | for my own ego.</span></p> |
||
+ | It was all for my own sake. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I was |
||
− | well aware. I used my magic to manipulate others. But the one most strongly |
||
− | manipulated by magic was me. Even my personality had been created to suit |
||
− | magic’s needs. My very emotions turned according to magic’s convenience.</span></p> |
||
+ | It was for my own ego. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>So I |
||
− | didn’t know any more.</span></p> |
||
+ | I was well aware. I used my magic to manipulate others. But the one most strongly manipulated by magic was me. Even my personality had been created to suit magic’s needs. My very emotions turned according to magic’s convenience. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Where |
||
− | did my true feelings lie?</span></p> |
||
+ | So I didn’t know any more. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | Where did my true feelings lie? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“See |
||
− | you later, Kouta.”</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | called out to Kouta from the hallway after school, then returned to my own |
||
− | classroom.</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>After I |
||
− | kissed Kouta, I couldn’t figure out how close we were. It wasn’t even clear |
||
− | whether or not we had broken up. I didn’t know if it was okay to walk home |
||
− | together with him, either.</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>On the |
||
− | other hand, it also wasn’t like he had completely cut off contact with me. No |
||
− | conclusion seemed forthcoming, and I put off reaching for one.</span></p> |
||
+ | “See you later, Kouta.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>As |
||
− | someone who habitually made decisions quickly, this was a first for me.</span></p> |
||
+ | I called out to Kouta from the hallway after school, then returned to my own classroom. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Say, |
||
− | Miki, did you by any chance break up with that guy from next door?”</span></p> |
||
+ | After I kissed Kouta, I couldn’t figure out how close we were. It wasn’t even clear whether or not we had broken up. I didn’t know if it was okay to walk home together with him, either. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Sayuri |
||
− | asked concernedly, wearing her trademark short skirt. I simply sat |
||
− | uncomfortably, which she mistook for an affirmation and pounded on my back.</span></p> |
||
+ | On the other hand, it also wasn’t like he had completely cut off contact with me. No conclusion seemed forthcoming, and I put off reaching for one. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Well, |
||
− | I dunno who dumped who, but with your looks I’m sure you’ll have plenty of much |
||
− | better guys pounding at your door!”</span></p> |
||
+ | As someone who habitually made decisions quickly, this was a first for me. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I |
||
− | think Kouta’s pretty good-looking, myself...”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Say, Miki, did you by any chance break up with that guy from next door?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>That |
||
− | was my honest evaluation.</span></p> |
||
+ | Sayuri asked concernedly, wearing her trademark short skirt. I simply sat uncomfortably, which she mistook for an affirmation and pounded on my back. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Oh, no |
||
− | way. He’s totally normal. Bland. No personality. Below-average. And for him to |
||
− | break up with you so quickly, he must be a pretty shitty person. He’s worse |
||
− | than trash. I mean, that background character doesn’t even compare to someone |
||
− | like Makino.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Well, I dunno who dumped who, but with your looks I’m sure you’ll have plenty of much better guys pounding at your door!” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I |
||
− | don’t even know Makino. And besides, Kouta and I didn’t break up. I think... |
||
− | probably...”</span></p> |
||
+ | “I think Kouta’s pretty good-looking, myself...” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | realized my mistake the moment the words left my mouth. I’d said something that |
||
− | the love story-crazed Sayuri would be sure to latch on to.</span></p> |
||
+ | That was my honest evaluation. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“What’s |
||
− | up with you two!? Now you have to tell me everything! That’s it, how about you |
||
− | tell your favorite love expert the details?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Oh, no way. He’s totally normal. Bland. No personality. Below-average. And for him to break up with you so quickly, he must be a pretty shitty person. He’s worse than trash. I mean, that background character doesn’t even compare to someone like Makino.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I mean, |
||
− | as far as I knew she had only ever dated one person, and she was still a |
||
− | virgin... No, there was no need to bring that up. Sayuri was always center of |
||
− | attention in our class, so she needed to be perceived as experienced in the |
||
− | ways of love. I shouldn’t say anything to shatter that image of hers.</span></p> |
||
+ | “I don’t even know Makino. And besides, Kouta and I didn’t break up. I think... probably...” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | I realized my mistake the moment the words left my mouth. I’d said something that the love story-crazed Sayuri would be sure to latch on to. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I ended |
||
− | up attracting the interest of not just Sayuri, but most of the girls in class, |
||
− | so the whole matter took a good deal more time to resolve than I had expected. |
||
− | I was on edge because I didn’t want any strange rumors spreading around, and by |
||
− | the end of it all I was dead tired.</span></p> |
||
+ | “What’s up with you two!? Now you have to tell me everything! That’s it, how about you tell your favorite love expert the details?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>By the |
||
− | time I passed through the school gate, the sun had already almost set.</span></p> |
||
+ | I mean, as far as I knew she had only ever dated one person, and she was still a virgin... No, there was no need to bring that up. Sayuri was always center of attention in our class, so she needed to be perceived as experienced in the ways of love. I shouldn’t say anything to shatter that image of hers. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I had |
||
− | been hanging my head in exhaustion my entire way out, so it was by sheer |
||
− | coincidence that I lifted my head when I did and saw what I saw.</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Kouta |
||
− | was with a girl from another school.</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>The |
||
− | aging coffee shop they went to was near the school, but drinks there were |
||
− | expensive and it wasn’t particularly stylish. Perhaps the conversations about |
||
− | romance I had been embroiled in were to blame for the fact that “affair” was |
||
− | the first word that sprung to my mind, and my face went bright pink.</span></p> |
||
+ | I ended up attracting the interest of not just Sayuri, but most of the girls in class, so the whole matter took a good deal more time to resolve than I had expected. I was on edge because I didn’t want any strange rumors spreading around, and by the end of it all I was dead tired. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But |
||
− | setting aside the prospect on affair, seeing the two of them side-by-side gave |
||
− | me an ominous premonition. And the girl was clearly being possessed by some |
||
− | manner of evil magic. It was hard to anything good coming of her interacting |
||
− | with Kouta as he was now.</span></p> |
||
+ | By the time I passed through the school gate, the sun had already almost set. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But my |
||
− | legs simply trembled, refusing to take me to the coffee shop. No matter how |
||
− | much faith I had in my premonition, the courage to get involved refused to well |
||
− | forth.</span></p> |
||
+ | I had been hanging my head in exhaustion my entire way out, so it was by sheer coincidence that I lifted my head when I did and saw what I saw. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Vexed |
||
− | at my own powerlessness, my eyes welled up with tears. What I really wanted to |
||
− | do was storm into that coffee shop this instant and protect Kouta from |
||
− | everything that might harm him.</span></p> |
||
+ | Kouta was with a girl from another school. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>What |
||
− | was so wrong about that?</span></p> |
||
+ | The aging coffee shop they went to was near the school, but drinks there were expensive and it wasn’t particularly stylish. Perhaps the conversations about romance I had been embroiled in were to blame for the fact that “affair” was the first word that sprung to my mind, and my face went bright pink. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | But setting aside the prospect on affair, seeing the two of them side-by-side gave me an ominous premonition. And the girl was clearly being possessed by some manner of evil magic. It was hard to anything good coming of her interacting with Kouta as he was now. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>The |
||
− | next day, Kouta had clearly undergone some manner of transformation.</span></p> |
||
+ | But my legs simply trembled, refusing to take me to the coffee shop. No matter how much faith I had in my premonition, the courage to get involved refused to well forth. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Yahara |
||
− | was slowly corroding away at him. But a dead man’s magic can’t exert any new |
||
− | influence, so I hadn’t been treating it as an emergency.</span></p> |
||
+ | Vexed at my own powerlessness, my eyes welled up with tears. What I really wanted to do was storm into that coffee shop this instant and protect Kouta from everything that might harm him. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But I |
||
− | had been mistaken. Yahara’s magic was stronger than I had imagined. And more |
||
− | importantly, its target had been Kouta, whose magic resistance was zero.</span></p> |
||
+ | What was so wrong about that? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Kouta |
||
− | was completely submerged in the sorcery that was born from the ritual of his |
||
− | death.</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>What |
||
− | should I do? Kouta had already lost his confidence in me, so now that the issue |
||
− | had progressed this far it was difficult to imagine him listening to what I had |
||
− | to say. On the other hand, was it really for the best that I just leave him be? |
||
− | Would any actions I took to save him here simply be to fuel my own ego?</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“You |
||
− | seem down again today, Miki. Probably have your head all full of that |
||
− | good-for-nothing guy Kouta, right?”</span></p> |
||
+ | The next day, Kouta had clearly undergone some manner of transformation. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Sayuri’s |
||
− | quip came in an intentionally-bright tone. When I met her eyes and gave a small |
||
− | nod, she sighed exaggeratedly.</span></p> |
||
+ | Yahara was slowly corroding away at him. But a dead man’s magic can’t exert any new influence, so I hadn’t been treating it as an emergency. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“...Say. |
||
− | You haven’t properly dumped him, and you haven’t been properly dumped, am I |
||
− | right? ...And, um, as an aside, I find Kouta’s worth as a guy to be deeply… |
||
− | deeply! Very deeply! Suspect! ...Suspect, but…”</span></p> |
||
+ | But I had been mistaken. Yahara’s magic was stronger than I had imagined. And more importantly, its target had been Kouta, whose magic resistance was zero. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>She |
||
− | continued with a wry grin.</span></p> |
||
+ | Kouta was completely submerged in the sorcery that was born from the ritual of his death. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“If you |
||
− | like him so much, wouldn’t it best if you tried really hard to make up with |
||
− | him?”</span></p> |
||
+ | What should I do? Kouta had already lost his confidence in me, so now that the issue had progressed this far it was difficult to imagine him listening to what I had to say. On the other hand, was it really for the best that I just leave him be? Would any actions I took to save him here simply be to fuel my own ego? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Eh?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “You seem down again today, Miki. Probably have your head all full of that good-for-nothing guy Kouta, right?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Like |
||
− | him?</span></p> |
||
+ | Sayuri’s quip came in an intentionally-bright tone. When I met her eyes and gave a small nod, she sighed exaggeratedly. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I liked |
||
− | Kouta?</span></p> |
||
+ | “...Say. You haven’t properly dumped him, and you haven’t been properly dumped, am I right? ...And, um, as an aside, I find Kouta’s worth as a guy to be deeply… deeply! Very deeply! Suspect! ...Suspect, but…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“You |
||
− | know, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on your whole situation-thing over |
||
− | there. Like, why things between you two keep getting so complicated. ...Say, |
||
− | Miki, you’ve never <i>liked </i>anyone before, right? This is just me guessing, |
||
− | but Kouta asked you out, and even though it was Kouta you didn’t hate the idea |
||
− | so you just kinda went along with it. Then, when he wanted to move the |
||
− | relationship along, your feelings still hadn’t caught up and you got all |
||
− | wishy-washy… and then he got all pissy, am I on the right track?”</span></p> |
||
+ | She continued with a wry grin. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I was |
||
− | impressed. There were a number of details she got wrong, but she had seen |
||
− | through to the essentials.</span></p> |
||
+ | “If you like him so much, wouldn’t it best if you tried really hard to make up with him?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“You |
||
− | probably don’t understand your feelings yourself, huh, Miki. But see, using |
||
− | Makino as an example, you’ve rejected a bunch of guys before, right? But the |
||
− | only one you’ve gone out with is Kouta. That’s a pretty big jump, don’t you |
||
− | think? So I’m like, what if you just don’t know what it means to like someone?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Eh?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“...I |
||
− | don’t have any personal experience, but I think I have a pretty good idea from |
||
− | books and stuff. When you like someone, stuff like your chest getting tight, |
||
− | not being able to swallow when you’re eating, and being blind happen, right? |
||
− | But nothing like that’s happened to me. So I thought my feelings were something |
||
− | else…”</span></p> |
||
+ | Like him? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Y’know, |
||
− | Miki, you’re really good at picking up on people’s true natures, right? Like, |
||
− | creepily good.”</span></p> |
||
+ | I liked Kouta? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I was |
||
− | startled at having that so suddenly pointed out. I didn’t think Sayuri had seen |
||
− | through me to that extent.</span></p> |
||
+ | “You know, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on your whole situation-thing over there. Like, why things between you two keep getting so complicated. ...Say, Miki, you’ve never <i>liked </i>anyone before, right? This is just me guessing, but Kouta asked you out, and even though it was Kouta you didn’t hate the idea so you just kinda went along with it. Then, when he wanted to move the relationship along, your feelings still hadn’t caught up and you got all wishy-washy… and then he got all pissy, am I on the right track?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Miki, |
||
− | the kind of <i>like</i> you’re talking about is probably just when you have |
||
− | illusions about the other party. Like, when you have an idealized version of |
||
− | someone in your head and you fall in love with that version. But when that |
||
− | happens, you’re not really looking at the real them. You’re just in love with |
||
− | the idea of being in love. But because you pick up on people’s true natures so |
||
− | easily, you don’t harbor illusions like that. I guess that makes you kind of a |
||
− | realist?”</span></p> |
||
+ | I was impressed. There were a number of details she got wrong, but she had seen through to the essentials. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Does |
||
− | that mean I can’t fall in love?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “You probably don’t understand your feelings yourself, huh, Miki. But see, using Makino as an example, you’ve rejected a bunch of guys before, right? But the only one you’ve gone out with is Kouta. That’s a pretty big jump, don’t you think? So I’m like, what if you just don’t know what it means to like someone?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>The |
||
− | creation of my very personality and emotions had been manipulated by magic. It |
||
− | couldn’t be helped if such impediments arose.</span></p> |
||
+ | “...I don’t have any personal experience, but I think I have a pretty good idea from books and stuff. When you like someone, stuff like your chest getting tight, not being able to swallow when you’re eating, and being blind happen, right? But nothing like that’s happened to me. So I thought my feelings were something else…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But |
||
− | Sayuri just shook her head.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Y’know, Miki, you’re really good at picking up on people’s true natures, right? Like, creepily good.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“No, |
||
− | no, no. That kind of love is no more than kid’s play. It’s an egotistical, |
||
− | conceited kind of love. Even a love expert like myself had a phase like that. |
||
− | But every dreamer has to graduate from loving the idea of being in love. That |
||
− | kind of violent love never lasts long. But I think that even without those |
||
− | violent emotions, if you’re always, always always, thinking about that someone, |
||
− | then that’s already love in and of itself.”</span></p> |
||
+ | I was startled at having that so suddenly pointed out. I didn’t think Sayuri had seen through me to that extent. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | understood the words coming out of her mouth, but I couldn’t make them feel |
||
− | real.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Miki, the kind of <i>like</i> you’re talking about is probably just when you have illusions about the other party. Like, when you have an idealized version of someone in your head and you fall in love with that version. But when that happens, you’re not really looking at the real them. You’re just in love with the idea of being in love. But because you pick up on people’s true natures so easily, you don’t harbor illusions like that. I guess that makes you kind of a realist?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>So |
||
− | basically, I was already in love with Kouta?</span></p> |
||
+ | “Does that mean I can’t fall in love?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“That’s…”</span></p> |
||
+ | The creation of my very personality and emotions had been manipulated by magic. It couldn’t be helped if such impediments arose. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Actually, |
||
− | maybe it doesn’t have to be that complicated? Falling in love is something you |
||
− | can only do if you want to. You couldn’t do it because you weren’t prepared |
||
− | yet. Does that make sense?”</span></p> |
||
+ | But Sayuri just shook her head. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I’m |
||
− | really not sure it does…”</span></p> |
||
+ | “No, no, no. That kind of love is no more than kid’s play. It’s an egotistical, conceited kind of love. Even a love expert like myself had a phase like that. But every dreamer has to graduate from loving the idea of being in love. That kind of violent love never lasts long. But I think that even without those violent emotions, if you’re always, always always, thinking about that someone, then that’s already love in and of itself.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Sayuri |
||
− | took on a voice like she was gently teaching a child who was doing poorly in |
||
− | school.</span></p> |
||
+ | I understood the words coming out of her mouth, but I couldn’t make them feel real. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Okay, |
||
− | then let’s stop thinking about it all jumbled-up like that. Let’s just confirm |
||
− | something. Miki, what is it that you want to do for him?”</span></p> |
||
+ | So basically, I was already in love with Kouta? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“That’s—”</span></p> |
||
+ | “That’s…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>It |
||
− | immediately came to mind.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Actually, maybe it doesn’t have to be that complicated? Falling in love is something you can only do if you want to. You couldn’t do it because you weren’t prepared yet. Does that make sense?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | wanted to make him happy. I wanted to protect him from evil magi.</span></p> |
||
+ | “I’m really not sure it does…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Do you |
||
− | think about anyone else in the same way? Could you do the same things for |
||
− | them?”</span></p> |
||
+ | Sayuri took on a voice like she was gently teaching a child who was doing poorly in school. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Kouta |
||
− | was the only person I so desperately wanted to save. But that was because he |
||
− | was a special, transparent kind of person. It was because he didn’t have any |
||
− | magic resistance. ...Or so I had thought.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Okay, then let’s stop thinking about it all jumbled-up like that. Let’s just confirm something. Miki, what is it that you want to do for him?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Just |
||
− | do what you want to. Even if you end up being a bit of a nuisance, you’re cute |
||
− | enough that anyone would let you get away with it!”</span></p> |
||
+ | “That’s—” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“But…”</span></p> |
||
+ | It immediately came to mind. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“No |
||
− | buts! Ahh, all this tedious blathering is so unlike you! Once the Miki I know has |
||
− | her mind set on something, she goes and does it! Where’d that assertiveness of |
||
− | your go?”</span></p> |
||
+ | I wanted to make him happy. I wanted to protect him from evil magi. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“T...that’s…”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Do you think about anyone else in the same way? Could you do the same things for them?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Ahh, I |
||
− | can’t hear you. Until Miki gets moving, I’m not talking to her anymore! That’s |
||
− | it, I’m done! I’m done being friends with her!”</span></p> |
||
+ | Kouta was the only person I so desperately wanted to save. But that was because he was a special, transparent kind of person. It was because he didn’t have any magic resistance. ...Or so I had thought. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | “Just do what you want to. Even if you end up being a bit of a nuisance, you’re cute enough that anyone would let you get away with it!” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Sayuri |
||
− | really was meddlesome, I thought, as she pushed me forward repeatedly after |
||
− | arbitrarily deciding that I was in love. But thanks to her fervent speech, I |
||
− | was finally sure of my feelings.</span></p> |
||
+ | “But…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>—No |
||
− | matter what, I couldn’t leave Kouta be like this!</span></p> |
||
+ | “No buts! Ahh, all this tedious blathering is so unlike you! Once the Miki I know has her mind set on something, she goes and does it! Where’d that assertiveness of your go?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>That |
||
− | much I felt certain of. Whether or not it was my ego speaking, those were my |
||
− | true feelings.</span></p> |
||
+ | “T...that’s…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Sorry, |
||
− | Kouta.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Ahh, I can’t hear you. Until Miki gets moving, I’m not talking to her anymore! That’s it, I’m done! I’m done being friends with her!” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I can’t |
||
− | ignore these feelings of mine. No matter what!</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>As soon |
||
− | as break rolled around, I immediately headed for the next-door classroom. I had |
||
− | nothing even resembling a plan, but my magic should still have some efficacy. |
||
− | If I just talked with him face-to-face, I was sure I could come up with a way |
||
− | to save him!</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | surveyed the classroom, but Kouta was nowhere to be seen.</span></p> |
||
+ | Sayuri really was meddlesome, I thought, as she pushed me forward repeatedly after arbitrarily deciding that I was in love. But thanks to her fervent speech, I was finally sure of my feelings. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>What |
||
− | should I do? Should I wait for him…? Or should I go back after all…?</span></p> |
||
+ | —No matter what, I couldn’t leave Kouta be like this! |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Kouzuki. |
||
− | May I have a moment?”</span></p> |
||
+ | That much I felt certain of. Whether or not it was my ego speaking, those were my true feelings. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>As I |
||
− | hesitated, a skinny man in glasses called out to me. Though his glasses hid |
||
− | them somewhat, dark shades stood in sharp contrast on his face. Although we’d |
||
− | never spoken before, I knew him as the class representative who always |
||
− | instructed the class to take their seats in the mornings.</span></p> |
||
+ | Sorry, Kouta. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“It |
||
− | seems that you often visit our classroom with Hiiragi in mind. What I would |
||
− | like to inquire is, are you in fact his girlfriend?”</span></p> |
||
+ | I can’t ignore these feelings of mine. No matter what! |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>His |
||
− | hypocritical courtesy and peculiar manner of speaking where he didn’t allow his |
||
− | facial muscles to move made me wary. I was a magus, so he couldn’t fool me.</span></p> |
||
+ | As soon as break rolled around, I immediately headed for the next-door classroom. I had nothing even resembling a plan, but my magic should still have some efficacy. If I just talked with him face-to-face, I was sure I could come up with a way to save him! |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>—This |
||
− | person was bad news.</span></p> |
||
+ | I surveyed the classroom, but Kouta was nowhere to be seen. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>How |
||
− | could I have not noticed such a blatantly evil person before? If he had always |
||
− | been this bad, I should have noticed his peculiarity like I did with Yahara and |
||
− | Matsumi-senpai and been on guard.</span></p> |
||
+ | What should I do? Should I wait for him…? Or should I go back after all…? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Had I |
||
− | simply overlooked him? ...Or perhaps, had he only recently become this way?</span></p> |
||
+ | “Kouzuki. May I have a moment?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I |
||
− | would appreciate it if you would answer my question.”</span></p> |
||
+ | As I hesitated, a skinny man in glasses called out to me. Though his glasses hid them somewhat, dark shades stood in sharp contrast on his face. Although we’d never spoken before, I knew him as the class representative who always instructed the class to take their seats in the mornings. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>In my |
||
− | brooding I had completely forgotten to give an answer. As confused as I was, I |
||
− | tried to give as innocuous an answer as possible.</span></p> |
||
+ | “It seems that you often visit our classroom with Hiiragi in mind. What I would like to inquire is, are you in fact his girlfriend?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Um, |
||
− | I’d say we’re really good friends… or something like that.”</span></p> |
||
+ | His hypocritical courtesy and peculiar manner of speaking where he didn’t allow his facial muscles to move made me wary. I was a magus, so he couldn’t fool me. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Is |
||
− | that so? However, would you not say that you harbor affection for him as a |
||
− | member of the opposite sex?”</span></p> |
||
+ | —This person was bad news. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>It |
||
− | seemed impolite to me to ask such an intrusive question to somebody in your |
||
− | first proper conversation with them.</span></p> |
||
+ | How could I have not noticed such a blatantly evil person before? If he had always been this bad, I should have noticed his peculiarity like I did with Yahara and Matsumi-senpai and been on guard. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>He |
||
− | didn’t seem timid in the slightest. But it seemed my displeasure made it across |
||
− | to him.</span></p> |
||
+ | Had I simply overlooked him? ...Or perhaps, had he only recently become this way? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“That |
||
− | was rude of me. What I’m trying to ask is, why Hiiragi? That about sums it up.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “I would appreciate it if you would answer my question.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“What |
||
− | are you trying to say?”</span></p> |
||
+ | In my brooding I had completely forgotten to give an answer. As confused as I was, I tried to give as innocuous an answer as possible. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I’m |
||
− | asking why it had to be him. He doesn’t have any particular talents, nor is he |
||
− | exceedingly attractive. Why are you so fixated on him, in spite of all that?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Um, I’d say we’re really good friends… or something like that.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Did he |
||
− | simply have romance on the mind, like Sayuri? ...No, there’s no way, right?</span></p> |
||
+ | “Is that so? However, would you not say that you harbor affection for him as a member of the opposite sex?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>There |
||
− | was clearly some other motive behind his question.</span></p> |
||
+ | It seemed impolite to me to ask such an intrusive question to somebody in your first proper conversation with them. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I tried |
||
− | to get get a read on what it was, but because it was my first time talking to |
||
− | him I couldn’t get it from his expression alone.</span></p> |
||
+ | He didn’t seem timid in the slightest. But it seemed my displeasure made it across to him. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I had a |
||
− | thought.</span></p> |
||
+ | “That was rude of me. What I’m trying to ask is, why Hiiragi? That about sums it up.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>—I hate |
||
− | this person.</span></p> |
||
+ | “What are you trying to say?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>The |
||
− | reason I tried to tear Yahara and Matsumi-senpai away from Kouta was simply |
||
− | because they were dangerous. But I didn’t want to spend time around this guy |
||
− | for a simpler reason than that. I hated him.</span></p> |
||
+ | “I’m asking why it had to be him. He doesn’t have any particular talents, nor is he exceedingly attractive. Why are you so fixated on him, in spite of all that?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I |
||
− | don’t really see how that has anything to do with you, and I don’t really feel |
||
− | any obligation to answer that.”</span></p> |
||
+ | Did he simply have romance on the mind, like Sayuri? ...No, there’s no way, right? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I |
||
− | see.”</span></p> |
||
+ | There was clearly some other motive behind his question. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>The |
||
− | bespectacled man didn’t see overly concerned.</span></p> |
||
+ | I tried to get get a read on what it was, but because it was my first time talking to him I couldn’t get it from his expression alone. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Can I |
||
− | go now?”</span></p> |
||
+ | I had a thought. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Ah, I |
||
− | apologize for keeping you.”</span></p> |
||
+ | —I hate this person. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | turned away from him as if I were fleeing.</span></p> |
||
+ | The reason I tried to tear Yahara and Matsumi-senpai away from Kouta was simply because they were dangerous. But I didn’t want to spend time around this guy for a simpler reason than that. I hated him. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Ah, my |
||
− | apologies. May I ask you one last question?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “I don’t really see how that has anything to do with you, and I don’t really feel any obligation to answer that.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Not |
||
− | hiding my displeasure as I turned around, I asked “What?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “I see.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Do you |
||
− | believe that it is possible, simply from seemingly normal conversation and |
||
− | behaviour, to make others act according to one’s whim?”</span></p> |
||
+ | The bespectacled man didn’t see overly concerned. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Without |
||
− | thinking, my eyes widened.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Can I go now?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>—Could |
||
− | this guy know about magic?</span></p> |
||
+ | “Ah, I apologize for keeping you.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>The |
||
− | bespectacled man gazed interestedly at my panicked demeanor.</span></p> |
||
+ | I turned away from him as if I were fleeing. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“...I |
||
− | think… it’s possible…”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Ah, my apologies. May I ask you one last question?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I see. |
||
− | Now I understand.”</span></p> |
||
+ | Not hiding my displeasure as I turned around, I asked “What?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>He |
||
− | spoke almost in a whisper. Then he laughed eerily, to the point that I wasn’t |
||
− | sure how concerned I needed to be.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Do you believe that it is possible, simply from seemingly normal conversation and behaviour, to make others act according to one’s whim?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>My mood |
||
− | worsening, I gave up on waiting for Kouta and fled the classroom.</span></p> |
||
+ | Without thinking, my eyes widened. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Had he |
||
− | known about magic, and was investigating it? No… that wasn’t the impression I |
||
− | got. Then what in the world was he investigating?</span></p> |
||
+ | —Could this guy know about magic? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But |
||
− | there was one thing I was certain of.</span></p> |
||
+ | The bespectacled man gazed interestedly at my panicked demeanor. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>He too |
||
− | was a bad influence on Kouta.</span></p> |
||
+ | “...I think… it’s possible…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | “I see. Now I understand.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Thanks |
||
− | to my unpleasant encounter with the bespectacled man, I was somewhat flustered. |
||
− | My sense of duty was flaring up as well, telling me that I had to do something |
||
− | about Kouta. All throughout class I found myself unable to think of anything |
||
− | else.</span></p> |
||
+ | He spoke almost in a whisper. Then he laughed eerily, to the point that I wasn’t sure how concerned I needed to be. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>When |
||
− | lunch break came, I finally found Kouta in his classroom.</span></p> |
||
+ | My mood worsening, I gave up on waiting for Kouta and fled the classroom. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Kouta! |
||
− | I, um… I have something I need to talk to you about!”</span></p> |
||
+ | Had he known about magic, and was investigating it? No… that wasn’t the impression I got. Then what in the world was he investigating? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Kouta’s |
||
− | confusion was plain on his face. I couldn’t blame him; through yesterday, I had |
||
− | been respecting the distance we had placed between ourselves, and now I was |
||
− | acting all assertive all of a sudden.</span></p> |
||
+ | But there was one thing I was certain of. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>After |
||
− | somehow convincing him, we made our way to the same courtyard as always. |
||
− | Between the lush trees and the increasingly-overgrown lawn, it seemed less |
||
− | likely than ever that we would be intruded upon.</span></p> |
||
+ | He too was a bad influence on Kouta. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“What |
||
− | was it you wanted to talk about, Miki?”</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“There’s, |
||
− | um, something I really wanted to tell you…”</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>A |
||
− | phrase instantly sprung to mind.</span></p> |
||
+ | Thanks to my unpleasant encounter with the bespectacled man, I was somewhat flustered. My sense of duty was flaring up as well, telling me that I had to do something about Kouta. All throughout class I found myself unable to think of anything else. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><i><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | like you.</span></i></p> |
||
+ | When lunch break came, I finally found Kouta in his classroom. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I was |
||
− | almost disappointed in myself. I was still being manipulated by magic. I knew |
||
− | that if I confessed to him like this, he wouldn’t be able to turn me down, |
||
− | which is why I decided to do it in the first place. It was just like when I |
||
− | kissed him.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Kouta! I, um… I have something I need to talk to you about!” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Ahh… |
||
− | this was the first time I’ve ever resented magic.</span></p> |
||
+ | Kouta’s confusion was plain on his face. I couldn’t blame him; through yesterday, I had been respecting the distance we had placed between ourselves, and now I was acting all assertive all of a sudden. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But I |
||
− | stopped myself. I wanted to be sincere when I was with Kouta.</span></p> |
||
+ | After somehow convincing him, we made our way to the same courtyard as always. Between the lush trees and the increasingly-overgrown lawn, it seemed less likely than ever that we would be intruded upon. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I want |
||
− | to release you from this magic that’s nesting inside you.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “What was it you wanted to talk about, Miki?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I knew |
||
− | that if I was so stupidly honest, there was a chance I would be rejected. But |
||
− | Kouta would accept it. To the very end, he would never reject me.</span></p> |
||
+ | “There’s, um, something I really wanted to tell you…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I was |
||
− | presumptuous.</span></p> |
||
+ | A phrase instantly sprung to mind. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>This |
||
− | late in the game, I was still presumptuous.</span></p> |
||
+ | <i>I like you.</i> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Just |
||
− | cut it out already.”</span></p> |
||
+ | I was almost disappointed in myself. I was still being manipulated by magic. I knew that if I confessed to him like this, he wouldn’t be able to turn me down, which is why I decided to do it in the first place. It was just like when I kissed him. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>So even |
||
− | though I should have been able to anticipate his rebuttal, I couldn’t believe |
||
− | it.</span></p> |
||
+ | Ahh… this was the first time I’ve ever resented magic. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Miki, |
||
− | you’re full of yourself. You’re not even <i>trying</i> to understand how <b>I</b> |
||
− | feel. ...No, even if you understand how <b>I</b> feel, you’re still just trying |
||
− | to shove your own ego down my throat. <b>I</b> thought you’d been reflecting on |
||
− | that lately, but <b>I</b> guess <b>I</b> was wrong about that, huh.”</span></p> |
||
+ | But I stopped myself. I wanted to be sincere when I was with Kouta. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“...I, |
||
− | I have! But even so, I want to save you!”</span></p> |
||
+ | “I want to release you from this magic that’s nesting inside you.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“<b>I</b>’m |
||
− | not some tool you can use to reinforce your magic. And <b>I</b>’m not some pet |
||
− | you can use to stop being lonely, either.”</span></p> |
||
+ | I knew that if I was so stupidly honest, there was a chance I would be rejected. But Kouta would accept it. To the very end, he would never reject me. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I know |
||
− | that… or I thought I did, at least. But… Kouta, you’re in a really bad way |
||
− | right now! You’re getting stained in Yahara’s attribute, in a bad way, and it’s |
||
− | really dangerous! So I need to use my magic to—”</span></p> |
||
+ | I was presumptuous. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Magic |
||
− | is just,”</span></p> |
||
+ | This late in the game, I was still presumptuous. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>He |
||
− | spoke with an exasperated look on his face.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Just cut it out already.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“An |
||
− | illusion. It’s all in your head.”</span></p> |
||
+ | So even though I should have been able to anticipate his rebuttal, I couldn’t believe it. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>That |
||
− | purposeful method of pushing people aside, of hurting them, of keeping one’s |
||
− | distance from them.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Miki, you’re full of yourself. You’re not even <i>trying</i> to understand how <b>I</b> feel. ...No, even if you understand how <b>I</b> feel, you’re still just trying to shove your own ego down my throat. <b>I</b> thought you’d been reflecting on that lately, but <b>I</b> guess <b>I</b> was wrong about that, huh.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>It was |
||
− | like he really was—</span></p> |
||
+ | “...I, I have! But even so, I want to save you!” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I hold |
||
− | you in a bit of contempt now.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “<b>I</b>’m not some tool you can use to reinforce your magic. And <b>I</b>’m not some pet you can use to stop being lonely, either.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Masato |
||
− | Yahara, wasn’t he.</span></p> |
||
+ | “I know that… or I thought I did, at least. But… Kouta, you’re in a really bad way right now! You’re getting stained in Yahara’s attribute, in a bad way, and it’s really dangerous! So I need to use my magic to—” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><i><span lang=EN style='background:white'>He’ll just come |
||
− | hold you in contempt, and that’ll be that. Later.</span></i></p> |
||
+ | “Magic is just,” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='background:white'>It turned out exactly |
||
− | like he said it would.</span></p> |
||
+ | He spoke with an exasperated look on his face. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='background:white'>Their speech |
||
− | patterns, their appearances, their magic, everything was lining up.</span></p> |
||
+ | “An illusion. It’s all in your head.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='background:white'>“Later.”</span></p> |
||
+ | That purposeful method of pushing people aside, of hurting them, of keeping one’s distance from them. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='background:white'>As if saying he |
||
− | didn’t want to even look at me any more, Kouta turned around and walked off in |
||
− | a flash.</span></p> |
||
+ | It was like he really was— |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='background:white'>I was left alone in |
||
− | the courtyard.</span></p> |
||
+ | “I hold you in a bit of contempt now.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='background:white'>I was rejected?</span></p> |
||
+ | Masato Yahara, wasn’t he. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>—Right. |
||
− | I was rejected.</span></p> |
||
+ | <i>He’ll just come hold you in contempt, and that’ll be that. Later.</i> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I was |
||
− | rejected so thoroughly as to fall into despair.</span></p> |
||
+ | It turned out exactly like he said it would. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“...That’s |
||
− | weird.”</span></p> |
||
+ | Their speech patterns, their appearances, their magic, everything was lining up. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>My |
||
− | magic existed just so I wouldn’t be rejected by others. My magic existed just |
||
− | so I could control others. Why so did this happen on account of my magic?</span></p> |
||
+ | “Later.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Why did |
||
− | the person I least wanted to be rejected by, reject me?</span></p> |
||
+ | As if saying he didn’t want to even look at me any more, Kouta turned around and walked off in a flash. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“...Uw…”</span></p> |
||
+ | I was left alone in the courtyard. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Sadness? |
||
− | Loneliness? Heartbreak? I threw out all those negative emotions at the very |
||
− | beginning. I thought the only emotions I had left were those that I could |
||
− | manipulate to my benefit. But then, what was this… They’re all still totally |
||
− | here.</span></p> |
||
+ | I was rejected? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“...Uwaa...Whaaaa…”</span></p> |
||
+ | —Right. I was rejected. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Tears |
||
− | were something for me to manipulate others with. One of the convenient tools at |
||
− | a woman’s disposal. But although I had believed that, tears were streaming down |
||
− | my face despite nobody else being around.</span></p> |
||
+ | I was rejected so thoroughly as to fall into despair. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>What |
||
− | was going on… Get a grip already… Why was I crying?</span></p> |
||
+ | “...That’s weird.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Uwaa, |
||
− | whaaaaaaa!”</span></p> |
||
+ | My magic existed just so I wouldn’t be rejected by others. My magic existed just so I could control others. Why so did this happen on account of my magic? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>It |
||
− | wasn’t like I <i>wanted</i> to cry or anything!</span></p> |
||
+ | Why did the person I least wanted to be rejected by, reject me? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | “...Uw…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | Sadness? Loneliness? Heartbreak? I threw out all those negative emotions at the very beginning. I thought the only emotions I had left were those that I could manipulate to my benefit. But then, what was this… They’re all still totally here. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>After |
||
− | fleeing from the courtyard, I holed myself up in a stall in the girl’s |
||
− | bathroom. The bell for fifth period rang, but I couldn’t stop sobbing and |
||
− | simply stayed put.</span></p> |
||
+ | “...Uwaa...Whaaaa…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>My mind |
||
− | was in turmoil, but I tracked down the one calm part of myself and put it to |
||
− | use.</span></p> |
||
+ | Tears were something for me to manipulate others with. One of the convenient tools at a woman’s disposal. But although I had believed that, tears were streaming down my face despite nobody else being around. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Even if |
||
− | Kouta ended up hating me, I wouldn’t suffer any lasting damage. If an |
||
− | influential girl like Sayuri started hating me it would likely affect the rest |
||
− | of my interpersonal relationships as well, but Kouta didn’t belong to any |
||
− | social circles in particular. In fact, due to his relationship with Yahara he |
||
− | was somewhat isolated.</span></p> |
||
+ | What was going on… Get a grip already… Why was I crying? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Even if |
||
− | Kouta continued to be subsumed by Yahara, even if he passed the point of no |
||
− | return, it wasn’t my fault. If I hadn’t been around in the first place, the |
||
− | only thing that would have changed would have been him getting taken over by |
||
− | Yahara’s magic even sooner. It was completely different than my friend who had |
||
− | committed suicide.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Uwaa, whaaaaaaa!” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Besides, |
||
− | why had I become so engrossed in Kouta in the first place?</span></p> |
||
+ | It wasn’t like I <i>wanted</i> to cry or anything! |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I have |
||
− | this power. And even if they weren’t to Kouta’s extent, I’ve seen plenty of |
||
− | people in danger like he is. For example, that girl from another school that |
||
− | Kouta was with yesterday. But even knowing that, I never once thought to save |
||
− | them. For better or for worse, I’ve been pretty cold since I discovered magic.</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Why was |
||
− | Kouta alone so special?</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Why was |
||
− | I so willing to give him my first kiss, even though I would recoil at the |
||
− | thought of doing that with anyone else?</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Why did |
||
− | it hurt this much to be rejected by him?</span></p> |
||
+ | After fleeing from the courtyard, I holed myself up in a stall in the girl’s bathroom. The bell for fifth period rang, but I couldn’t stop sobbing and simply stayed put. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>—Ahh, |
||
− | so that’s it.</span></p> |
||
+ | My mind was in turmoil, but I tracked down the one calm part of myself and put it to use. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I’m so |
||
− | stupid. It’s so simple. Anyone else would have realized it in an instant. Only |
||
− | I could have failed to see it.</span></p> |
||
+ | Even if Kouta ended up hating me, I wouldn’t suffer any lasting damage. If an influential girl like Sayuri started hating me it would likely affect the rest of my interpersonal relationships as well, but Kouta didn’t belong to any social circles in particular. In fact, due to his relationship with Yahara he was somewhat isolated. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I’ve |
||
− | been violated.</span></p> |
||
+ | Even if Kouta continued to be subsumed by Yahara, even if he passed the point of no return, it wasn’t my fault. If I hadn’t been around in the first place, the only thing that would have changed would have been him getting taken over by Yahara’s magic even sooner. It was completely different than my friend who had committed suicide. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Violated |
||
− | by the most cliched magic imaginable.</span></p> |
||
+ | Besides, why had I become so engrossed in Kouta in the first place? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>The |
||
− | magic of love.</span></p> |
||
+ | I have this power. And even if they weren’t to Kouta’s extent, I’ve seen plenty of people in danger like he is. For example, that girl from another school that Kouta was with yesterday. But even knowing that, I never once thought to save them. For better or for worse, I’ve been pretty cold since I discovered magic. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | Why was Kouta alone so special? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“But… |
||
− | I’m too late…!”</span></p> |
||
+ | Why was I so willing to give him my first kiss, even though I would recoil at the thought of doing that with anyone else? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Why |
||
− | hadn’t I realized my feelings sooner? If I had been aware of how I felt, I’m |
||
− | sure I could have come up with any number of ways to get him to like me. There |
||
− | would have been any number of ways.</span></p> |
||
+ | Why did it hurt this much to be rejected by him? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | hadn’t know what was driving me, so I hadn’t known how to manage it. It was |
||
− | just one failure after another.</span></p> |
||
+ | —Ahh, so that’s it. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>The |
||
− | instant I realized what the true nature of my feelings was, the notion of |
||
− | “heartbreak” was born in my chest. It felt akin to the “loneliness” that had |
||
− | tormented me in the past, but the two were hardly comparable. I was furious. |
||
− | Furious at my inability to control my own emotions.</span></p> |
||
+ | I’m so stupid. It’s so simple. Anyone else would have realized it in an instant. Only I could have failed to see it. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But for |
||
− | some reason, I felt happy as well.</span></p> |
||
+ | I’ve been violated. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I was |
||
− | happy that there was something that could move me to these lengths. Thank |
||
− | goodness that my emotions weren’t truly dead. Thank goodness that some parts of |
||
− | me were still human!</span></p> |
||
+ | Violated by the most cliched magic imaginable. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Ahh, |
||
− | who cares any more! Who cares that Kouta doesn’t have any magic resistance any |
||
− | more! Who cares that he’s being possessed by Yahara any more!</span></p> |
||
+ | The magic of love. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>As long |
||
− | as I can keep being with Kouta from now on, who cares any more!</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | wanted to devote myself to Kouta. I wanted to make him mine. I wanted to stain |
||
− | him in my attribute. Ahh, my heart was awash with my own selfish ego. So awash |
||
− | with selfishness I might even disappoint myself. But I couldn’t stop it!</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Suddenly, |
||
− | the saying about how first loves are never fulfilled floated to my mind.</span></p> |
||
+ | “But… I’m too late…!” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>The |
||
− | first time I heard those words, I laughed with scorn. I’m a magus; I can |
||
− | control people without them even noticing it. If I were to ever fall in love, |
||
− | the thought of it ending in failure was laughable. I thought I’d just be able |
||
− | to seduce whoever I fell for at a whim.</span></p> |
||
+ | Why hadn’t I realized my feelings sooner? If I had been aware of how I felt, I’m sure I could have come up with any number of ways to get him to like me. There would have been any number of ways. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>And now |
||
− | look at me! How pathetic I am! How conceited I was!</span></p> |
||
+ | I hadn’t know what was driving me, so I hadn’t known how to manage it. It was just one failure after another. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Uwaaa, |
||
− | whaaaaaaaaaa!”</span></p> |
||
+ | The instant I realized what the true nature of my feelings was, the notion of “heartbreak” was born in my chest. It felt akin to the “loneliness” that had tormented me in the past, but the two were hardly comparable. I was furious. Furious at my inability to control my own emotions. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I’m so |
||
− | sad!</span></p> |
||
+ | But for some reason, I felt happy as well. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>How |
||
− | could I miss this once-in-a-lifetime shot?</span></p> |
||
+ | I was happy that there was something that could move me to these lengths. Thank goodness that my emotions weren’t truly dead. Thank goodness that some parts of me were still human! |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | Ahh, who cares any more! Who cares that Kouta doesn’t have any magic resistance any more! Who cares that he’s being possessed by Yahara any more! |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | couldn’t just run home on account of having left my bag in the classroom, so I |
||
− | timed my return with the bell signalling the end of fifth period. My eyelids |
||
− | were puffy and red, so I was immediately grilled by my classmates.</span></p> |
||
+ | As long as I can keep being with Kouta from now on, who cares any more! |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> After |
||
− | matter-of-factly tearing me away from the misfortune-starved horde, Sayuri |
||
− | dragged me back to the bathroom. The two of us entered a stall. After making me |
||
− | sit on the toilet seat, she leaned against the door and folded her arms.</span></p> |
||
+ | I wanted to devote myself to Kouta. I wanted to make him mine. I wanted to stain him in my attribute. Ahh, my heart was awash with my own selfish ego. So awash with selfishness I might even disappoint myself. But I couldn’t stop it! |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Let me |
||
− | guess, that ass Kouta dumped you, you finally realized that you’re in love with |
||
− | him, and you’ve been crying alone on the toilet for the past hour, right?”</span></p> |
||
+ | Suddenly, the saying about how first loves are never fulfilled floated to my mind. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“...Yeah.”</span></p> |
||
+ | The first time I heard those words, I laughed with scorn. I’m a magus; I can control people without them even noticing it. If I were to ever fall in love, the thought of it ending in failure was laughable. I thought I’d just be able to seduce whoever I fell for at a whim. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>After |
||
− | making her promise not to repeat it to anyone, I told Sayuri everything. The |
||
− | face staring back at me from the mirror earlier looked like death, and Sayuri’s |
||
− | response after looking closely at it was—</span></p> |
||
+ | And now look at me! How pathetic I am! How conceited I was! |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Ahahaha! |
||
− | So that’s it! You’re a riot!”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Uwaaa, whaaaaaaaaaa!” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>—irreverent |
||
− | laughter.</span></p> |
||
+ | I’m so sad! |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>What |
||
− | was I to do? I was on the verge of livid. I, the supposedly emotionless |
||
− | heroine, had recalled not only how to get sad but also how to get angry.</span></p> |
||
+ | How could I miss this once-in-a-lifetime shot? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“W...what |
||
− | are you laughing at!? I’m having an unrequited love over here! I’m so sad I’m |
||
− | bawling my eyes out over here! What’s wrong with you, Sayuri!? What, you want |
||
− | to go? Come on, let’s go!”</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Ahaha… |
||
− | Sorry, sorry! It’s just, you’re so innocent, Miki, it’s adorable…”</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Adorable!? |
||
− | I’ve had enough of this… I’m going to cast a spell on you that makes you unable |
||
− | to ever split your chopsticks cleanly…”</span></p> |
||
+ | I couldn’t just run home on account of having left my bag in the classroom, so I timed my return with the bell signalling the end of fifth period. My eyelids were puffy and red, so I was immediately grilled by my classmates. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I said |
||
− | I’m sorry for laughing! ...But isn’t it too early to call your love unrequited |
||
− | just yet?”</span></p> |
||
+ | After matter-of-factly tearing me away from the misfortune-starved horde, Sayuri dragged me back to the bathroom. The two of us entered a stall. After making me sit on the toilet seat, she leaned against the door and folded her arms. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Unsatisfied, |
||
− | I spoke in a low voice, my face still twisted in anger.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Let me guess, that ass Kouta dumped you, you finally realized that you’re in love with him, and you’ve been crying alone on the toilet for the past hour, right?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“He |
||
− | said he held me in contempt, you know? Other than unrequited, what else could |
||
− | it possibly be…”</span></p> |
||
+ | “...Yeah.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I’m |
||
− | telling you, if he really didn’t want to go out with you any more, he would |
||
− | have said it differently. It’s proof that he just wants you to better |
||
− | yourself.”</span></p> |
||
+ | After making her promise not to repeat it to anyone, I told Sayuri everything. The face staring back at me from the mirror earlier looked like death, and Sayuri’s response after looking closely at it was— |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Was it? |
||
− | Wasn’t it a matter of course that nobody who was that disappointed in me would |
||
− | ever want to go out with me?</span></p> |
||
+ | “Ahahaha! So that’s it! You’re a riot!” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“You |
||
− | were so unaware of your own feelings, all that the lucky guy you fell for heard |
||
− | from you was ‘I don’t really understand, but I want you to stay with me. I want |
||
− | you to put up with my selfishness. I want you to do as I say.’ And why do you |
||
− | think he was willing to do all that for you?”</span></p> |
||
+ | —irreverent laughter. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>After |
||
− | hearing it put that way, I was all the more impressed at Kouta for putting up |
||
− | with me for so long. It was no wonder he hated me now.</span></p> |
||
+ | What was I to do? I was on the verge of livid. I, the supposedly emotionless heroine, had recalled not only how to get sad but also how to get angry. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“...That’s, |
||
− | well, because Kouta is the kind of person who can’t reject anyone.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “W...what are you laughing at!? I’m having an unrequited love over here! I’m so sad I’m bawling my eyes out over here! What’s wrong with you, Sayuri!? What, you want to go? Come on, let’s go!” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Nope. |
||
− | It’s because he’s interested in you.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Ahaha… Sorry, sorry! It’s just, you’re so innocent, Miki, it’s adorable…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“What?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Adorable!? I’ve had enough of this… I’m going to cast a spell on you that makes you unable to ever split your chopsticks cleanly…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>That |
||
− | was too far out of left field.</span></p> |
||
+ | “I said I’m sorry for laughing! ...But isn’t it too early to call your love unrequited just yet?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“This |
||
− | is just my intuition talking, but Miki, did you by any chance have a bunch of |
||
− | male friends in middle school? You know, doing you favors and stuff?”</span></p> |
||
+ | Unsatisfied, I spoke in a low voice, my face still twisted in anger. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I |
||
− | don’t know about favors, but I did have friends…”</span></p> |
||
+ | “He said he held me in contempt, you know? Other than unrequited, what else could it possibly be…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>As long |
||
− | as I had my magic, such a feat was simple. I had put a lot of effort into |
||
− | getting people under my control, male and female alike. I had long thought that |
||
− | my ability to do so was my one redeeming quality.</span></p> |
||
+ | “I’m telling you, if he really didn’t want to go out with you any more, he would have said it differently. It’s proof that he just wants you to better yourself.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“You |
||
− | know, those guys were probably all into you!”</span></p> |
||
+ | Was it? Wasn’t it a matter of course that nobody who was that disappointed in me would ever want to go out with me? |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Ehh…? |
||
− | Your logic’s getting a little shaky…”</span></p> |
||
+ | “You were so unaware of your own feelings, all that the lucky guy you fell for heard from you was ‘I don’t really understand, but I want you to stay with me. I want you to put up with my selfishness. I want you to do as I say.’ And why do you think he was willing to do all that for you?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“You |
||
− | really <i>are</i> blind to your whole sex appeal, aren’t you. I can definitely |
||
− | tell that you didn’t put much thought into romance up until now. Hmm… a quiz, |
||
− | then. What would you say is the kind of girl that guys are the most likely to |
||
− | fall for?”</span></p> |
||
+ | After hearing it put that way, I was all the more impressed at Kouta for putting up with me for so long. It was no wonder he hated me now. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Huh? |
||
− | Umm… Someone who’s cute, mature, and respectful… and maybe good at cooking? And |
||
− | long hair is probably better. Anyways, that sort of girly girl, right? I don’t |
||
− | really fit the type, you know.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “...That’s, well, because Kouta is the kind of person who can’t reject anyone.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Well, |
||
− | a girly girl like that’ll be a hit with the guys for sure. But that’s not it. |
||
− | That type’ll be popular, but not the <i>most</i> popular. The <i>most</i> |
||
− | popular type is gonna be the type of girl whose looks are only so-so, is easy |
||
− | to talk to, who they can be themselves around, and who looks like they’re |
||
− | having a good time when they’re chatting. Other than the bit about the looks, |
||
− | it’s a description that fits you to a T.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Nope. It’s because he’s interested in you.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“You’re |
||
− | not just saying stuff to cheer me up, are you?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “What?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I’m as |
||
− | serious as can be. Girls are pretty much the same way, but guys don’t really go |
||
− | for girl who are out of their league. They fall for girls that they feel like |
||
− | they have a shot with. And you’re kind of a natural at provoking guys that way, |
||
− | Miki. You try so hard to make sure the people you interact with are having fun, |
||
− | it makes guys wonder if you might be into them. You’re a master at accidentally |
||
− | giving the wrong impression. The first time I met you, I wanted to kill you |
||
− | because I thought you were doing it on purpose.”</span></p> |
||
+ | That was too far out of left field. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“You’re |
||
− | scary…”</span></p> |
||
+ | “This is just my intuition talking, but Miki, did you by any chance have a bunch of male friends in middle school? You know, doing you favors and stuff?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Wait a |
||
− | minute, haven’t you, like, had a bunch of guys confess to you?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “I don’t know about favors, but I did have friends…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I was |
||
− | silent. I couldn’t refute it.</span></p> |
||
+ | As long as I had my magic, such a feat was simple. I had put a lot of effort into getting people under my control, male and female alike. I had long thought that my ability to do so was my one redeeming quality. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“So |
||
− | what’s up with that ‘I don’t know anything about love’ aura you give off? |
||
− | Anyways, you should be aware of how popular you are.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “You know, those guys were probably all into you!” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“...Well, |
||
− | enough about me being popular—”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Ehh…? Your logic’s getting a little shaky…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“I’ll |
||
− | kill you. Don’t go getting cocky on me. I’ll kill you.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “You really <i>are</i> blind to your whole sex appeal, aren’t you. I can definitely tell that you didn’t put much thought into romance up until now. Hmm… a quiz, then. What would you say is the kind of girl that guys are the most likely to fall for?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Let me |
||
− | finish! Geez, the look in your eyes is scary! ...But even if I’m popular, |
||
− | that’s different from Kouta liking me, right? I’m pretty confident that he |
||
− | doesn’t seem me in a romantic light.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Huh? Umm… Someone who’s cute, mature, and respectful… and maybe good at cooking? And long hair is probably better. Anyways, that sort of girly girl, right? I don’t really fit the type, you know.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Maybe |
||
− | the two of you are more alike than you think. I’m pretty sure he holds you in |
||
− | good favor… Maybe he doesn’t realize it, either.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Well, a girly girl like that’ll be a hit with the guys for sure. But that’s not it. That type’ll be popular, but not the <i>most</i> popular. The <i>most</i> popular type is gonna be the type of girl whose looks are only so-so, is easy to talk to, who they can be themselves around, and who looks like they’re having a good time when they’re chatting. Other than the bit about the looks, it’s a description that fits you to a T.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>...Now |
||
− | that she mentioned it, Kouta had a habit of avoiding self-reflection, so him |
||
− | being unaware of his feelings was only natural.</span></p> |
||
+ | “You’re not just saying stuff to cheer me up, are you?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“And |
||
− | for that matter, he didn’t ignore you or anything even after you started acting |
||
− | all arrogant around him, right?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “I’m as serious as can be. Girls are pretty much the same way, but guys don’t really go for girl who are out of their league. They fall for girls that they feel like they have a shot with. And you’re kind of a natural at provoking guys that way, Miki. You try so hard to make sure the people you interact with are having fun, it makes guys wonder if you might be into them. You’re a master at accidentally giving the wrong impression. The first time I met you, I wanted to kill you because I thought you were doing it on purpose.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Thinking |
||
− | back to how Kouta was originally, I mumbled, “I think so.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “You’re scary…” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Then |
||
− | you got this in the bag.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Wait a minute, haven’t you, like, had a bunch of guys confess to you?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“What |
||
− | makes you say that?”</span></p> |
||
+ | I was silent. I couldn’t refute it. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Even |
||
− | though he might not realize it, it’s not your personality that’s annoying him |
||
− | so much. It’s not your selfishness. It’s what we were just talking about, how |
||
− | you don’t put things clearly. He’s mad because you properly said that you liked |
||
− | him.”</span></p> |
||
+ | “So what’s up with that ‘I don’t know anything about love’ aura you give off? Anyways, you should be aware of how popular you are.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | wanted to tell her that there’s no way that was the case, but something Kouta |
||
− | had told me floated to mind.</span></p> |
||
+ | “...Well, enough about me being popular—” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I</span></i></b><i><span |
||
− | lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> have to wonder, why do you |
||
− | spend so much time confirming my feelings without voicing your own even once?</span></i></p> |
||
+ | “I’ll kill you. Don’t go getting cocky on me. I’ll kill you.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Even |
||
− | if Kouta’s like you were and doesn’t realize he’s in love with you, all you |
||
− | have to saying is something like ‘I like you so much I can’t leave you alone. |
||
− | I’m sorry.’ and he’d forgive you with a sappy look on his face. ‘Cause it’s |
||
− | pretty clear he definitely has feelings for you. Guys are pretty simple, you |
||
− | know, and they don’t really get hung up on the past. So you’ve got this in the |
||
− | bag. Or should I call it an easy win?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “Let me finish! Geez, the look in your eyes is scary! ...But even if I’m popular, that’s different from Kouta liking me, right? I’m pretty confident that he doesn’t seem me in a romantic light.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | immediately wanted to rebut, saying that there was no way it could be that |
||
− | easy.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Maybe the two of you are more alike than you think. I’m pretty sure he holds you in good favor… Maybe he doesn’t realize it, either.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But |
||
− | when I ran a simulation inside my head, I felt like the result would be exactly |
||
− | as she predicted. I could almost imagine Kouta saying “It’s fine, don’t worry |
||
− | about it,” and forgiving me with a slightly flustered look on his face.</span></p> |
||
+ | ...Now that she mentioned it, Kouta had a habit of avoiding self-reflection, so him being unaware of his feelings was only natural. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>That |
||
− | was amazing.</span></p> |
||
+ | “And for that matter, he didn’t ignore you or anything even after you started acting all arrogant around him, right?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Sayuri |
||
− | came up with an incantation to salvage a relationship that not even I could |
||
− | think of a way to like it was nothing.</span></p> |
||
+ | Thinking back to how Kouta was originally, I mumbled, “I think so.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I gazed |
||
− | at Sayuri with newfound respect.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Then you got this in the bag.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Sayuri, |
||
− | are you by any chance actually a powerful magus?”</span></p> |
||
+ | “What makes you say that?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I had |
||
− | thought that there was nothing I had left to learn from others when it came to |
||
− | communication.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Even though he might not realize it, it’s not your personality that’s annoying him so much. It’s not your selfishness. It’s what we were just talking about, how you don’t put things clearly. He’s mad because you properly said that you liked him.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Magic? |
||
− | What are you going on about? Well, I guess it does make sense that you’d be no |
||
− | match for me, given that you’re just a little fledgeling when it comes to love |
||
− | and I’ve got love on the brain twenty-four seven.”</span></p> |
||
+ | I wanted to tell her that there’s no way that was the case, but something Kouta had told me floated to mind. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>That… |
||
− | made sense. There was no way I could compare to a romance fanatic like her.</span></p> |
||
+ | <b><i>I</i></b><i> have to wonder, why do you spend so much time confirming my feelings without voicing your own even once?</i> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Sayuri |
||
− | gave my head a soft knock.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Even if Kouta’s like you were and doesn’t realize he’s in love with you, all you have to saying is something like ‘I like you so much I can’t leave you alone. I’m sorry.’ and he’d forgive you with a sappy look on his face. ‘Cause it’s pretty clear he definitely has feelings for you. Guys are pretty simple, you know, and they don’t really get hung up on the past. So you’ve got this in the bag. Or should I call it an easy win?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“Go get |
||
− | ‘em, Miki.”</span></p> |
||
+ | I immediately wanted to rebut, saying that there was no way it could be that easy. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>“...Will |
||
− | do.”</span></p> |
||
+ | But when I ran a simulation inside my head, I felt like the result would be exactly as she predicted. I could almost imagine Kouta saying “It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” and forgiving me with a slightly flustered look on his face. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | That was amazing. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>It was |
||
− | possible that despite my preconceptions, magic wasn’t actually all that |
||
− | special. It was possible that others could use similar abilities.</span></p> |
||
+ | Sayuri came up with an incantation to salvage a relationship that not even I could think of a way to like it was nothing. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>It |
||
− | wasn’t that nobody else knew that magic existed. They just didn’t need to. |
||
− | After all, you can do things similar to magic without even noticing.</span></p> |
||
+ | I gazed at Sayuri with newfound respect. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But… I |
||
− | still wanted to believe that my magic was special. I couldn’t so easily discard |
||
− | something that had supported me for so long.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Sayuri, are you by any chance actually a powerful magus?” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>There |
||
− | may well come a day when I find the degree to which I was obsessed with magic |
||
− | embarrassing, but that day is yet to come.</span></p> |
||
+ | I had thought that there was nothing I had left to learn from others when it came to communication. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I still |
||
− | believed in my magic.</span></p> |
||
+ | “Magic? What are you going on about? Well, I guess it does make sense that you’d be no match for me, given that you’re just a little fledgeling when it comes to love and I’ve got love on the brain twenty-four seven.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>It was |
||
− | still something deeply important to me.</span></p> |
||
+ | That… made sense. There was no way I could compare to a romance fanatic like her. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | Sayuri gave my head a soft knock. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | “Go get ‘em, Miki.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I |
||
− | decided to go see Kouta once school let out.</span></p> |
||
+ | “...Will do.” |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But |
||
− | thinking about it, it would be difficult to hold a normal conversation with him |
||
− | given how things ended last time. I had to resolve myself if I was going to be |
||
− | able to make up with him.</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I had |
||
− | no choice but to confess my love for him.</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Upon |
||
− | realizing this I began to lose my nerve a little, and the next-door classroom |
||
− | began to seem farther and farther away. No matter how many deeps breaths I |
||
− | took, my heart continued pounding away. My shoulders stiffened up from the |
||
− | stress, and I even began to feel a headache come on. After slapping my |
||
− | unobedient legs over and over, I finally reached the classroom.</span></p> |
||
+ | It was possible that despite my preconceptions, magic wasn’t actually all that special. It was possible that others could use similar abilities. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Kouta |
||
− | wasn’t there. But his bag was, so it seemed likely that he’d be back for it |
||
− | soon. With some hesitation, I headed for his seat and sat down. I fell |
||
− | prostrate on the desk he used day in and day out.</span></p> |
||
+ | It wasn’t that nobody else knew that magic existed. They just didn’t need to. After all, you can do things similar to magic without even noticing. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>That |
||
− | was all it took for my affection to start overflowing. Self-awareness. My heart |
||
− | felt so itchy that I wanted to scratch it. But at the same time it felt |
||
− | pleasant, like the blood pumping out of my heart was warmer than usual.</span></p> |
||
+ | But… I still wanted to believe that my magic was special. I couldn’t so easily discard something that had supported me for so long. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>How |
||
− | odd. I hadn’t realized what these feelings were until today, and yet I was well |
||
− | past the point of doubting them.</span></p> |
||
+ | There may well come a day when I find the degree to which I was obsessed with magic embarrassing, but that day is yet to come. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I liked |
||
− | Kouta.</span></p> |
||
+ | I still believed in my magic. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I liked |
||
− | Kouta a lot.</span></p> |
||
+ | It was still something deeply important to me. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I would |
||
− | confess to him, and make a request. An egotistical request for him to become |
||
− | mine.</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>But who |
||
− | cared if it was egotistical.</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I liked |
||
− | him, after all.</span></p> |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I loved |
||
− | him.</span></p> |
||
+ | I decided to go see Kouta once school let out. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>So he |
||
− | would forgive me, wouldn’t he? That was what love meant, wasn’t it?</span></p> |
||
+ | But thinking about it, it would be difficult to hold a normal conversation with him given how things ended last time. I had to resolve myself if I was going to be able to make up with him. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>In |
||
− | order to hide my giddy face, I lay even flatter on his desk. Kouta didn’t seem |
||
− | to be coming back, but I waited for him anyways.</span></p> |
||
+ | I had no choice but to confess my love for him. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'> </span></p> |
||
+ | Upon realizing this I began to lose my nerve a little, and the next-door classroom began to seem farther and farther away. No matter how many deeps breaths I took, my heart continued pounding away. My shoulders stiffened up from the stress, and I even began to feel a headache come on. After slapping my unobedient legs over and over, I finally reached the classroom. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>I was |
||
− | so lost in the throngs of love that I had completely forgotten.</span></p> |
||
+ | Kouta wasn’t there. But his bag was, so it seemed likely that he’d be back for it soon. With some hesitation, I headed for his seat and sat down. I fell prostrate on the desk he used day in and day out. |
||
− | <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='color:#222222;background:white'>Kouta |
||
+ | |||
− | was on the verge of not being Kouta any more.</span></p> |
||
+ | That was all it took for my affection to start overflowing. Self-awareness. My heart felt so itchy that I wanted to scratch it. But at the same time it felt pleasant, like the blood pumping out of my heart was warmer than usual. |
||
+ | |||
+ | How odd. I hadn’t realized what these feelings were until today, and yet I was well past the point of doubting them. |
||
+ | |||
+ | I liked Kouta. |
||
+ | |||
+ | I liked Kouta a lot. |
||
+ | |||
+ | I would confess to him, and make a request. An egotistical request for him to become mine. |
||
+ | |||
+ | But who cared if it was egotistical. |
||
+ | |||
+ | I liked him, after all. |
||
+ | |||
+ | I loved him. |
||
+ | |||
+ | So he would forgive me, wouldn’t he? That was what love meant, wasn’t it? |
||
+ | |||
+ | In order to hide my giddy face, I lay even flatter on his desk. Kouta didn’t seem to be coming back, but I waited for him anyways. |
||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | I was so lost in the throngs of love that I had completely forgotten. |
||
+ | |||
+ | Kouta was on the verge of not being Kouta any more. |
||
− | </div> |
||
<noinclude> |
<noinclude> |
Latest revision as of 05:21, 26 November 2017
Miki Kouzuki's Closed World (II)[edit]
After Kouta left, I simply laid on my bed in a daze for a while. The sun had long since set by the time I finally began moving again and turned to the mirror on my desk to put up my unfastened hair. But I couldn’t will myself to do it. The red hair band I had used for for so long felt like it contained half of my self — well, that was an exaggeration, but it definitely felt like it had been part of me. That was why it had been so steeped in my magic. Kouta wasn’t the only one under its influence; it had also drained my desire to replace it.
I decided to give up on the ponytail and leave my hair like this for a while.
Collapsing onto my bed again, I ruminated on what Kouta had said to me.
I have to wonder, why do you spend so much time confirming my feelings without voicing your own even once?
His expression had been the same as always, and his voice had been gentle, but he had clearly been reproaching me. It was the first time he had done so.
He’ll just come to hold you in contempt, and that’ll be that. Later.
Yahara had been right after all.
I’m a magus.
That may not be the most accurate way to put it. But I do actually have a special power, and I call it magic.
Up until I turned ten, I never displayed any external emotions. I was extremely shy, never opening my heart up to anyone. By the time I was old enough to realize what was going on, my parents had fallen out of love and fought frequently enough that we even got complaints from the next neighborhood over. They began living separately when I was eight, and they got divorced when I was nine. I was an only child, so I didn’t have any siblings that could intervene. Back then, the atmosphere in our family always felt like someone had run a fine knife through it.
Although they were never physically abusive before the divorce, when my mother was in a bad mood she would often treat me like I wasn’t there. Even if I cried, she wouldn’t pay any attention to me. As this went on, I eventually stopped crying altogether, along with laughing. And I didn’t just stop expressing emotions, I became numb and stopped feeling them altogether. My unnecessary functions were deteriorating.
As you would expect, none of my classmates wanted to get close to someone like that, so I was alone at school as well. I didn’t talk to anyone at school, nor did I at home. That was how I spent my days.
It was like I was invisible. In Japanese class, I wrote poems along those lines as well. When I did, my homeroom teacher would give their unaffected impressions, usually something along the lines of “What an interesting perspective.” ...Notice my cries for help already. Or had they noticed, but ignored them after deeming them too much of a bother?
Nobody came to my rescue. The only reason I was saved was because I didn’t give up in spite of that. I longed for the warmth of others, I yearned for it, and that tenacity was what eventually saved me.
—If only I could use magic.
I always fantasized about that. If only I could use magic to get along with anyone and everyone. If I could use that kind of magic, my parents could get back together, and I could laugh along with my friends. Those were kinds of ridiculous delusions I entertained.
But then one day, magic suddenly stopped being a mere delusion.
Although I had noone to talk to, I was always enviously watching my classmates’ interactions. Now that I look back at it, I was watching them with an aberrant level of concentration.
As an outsider, I calmly observed their interactions. I scanned the patterns of their conversations, unconsciously accumulating data.
And once I did, I began to understand the regularities therein. What kind of person what do what kinds of things to which other people, and how would those people react? Ahh, sudden awakenings truly do happen. As if I had learned a new language, the way I saw the world shifted.
Having understood the regularities behind communication, I immediately put this knowledge to the test. It took courage to move forward, but my hundreds of simulations gave me confidence.
And the result was — people responded exactly as I expected.
It felt good beyond words.
I changed myself through force. My emotions were still weak, but that actually worked in my favor. If I didn’t feel anything, then no matter what part I had to play it wouldn’t adversely affect me. I was at a little bit of a loss as to what to use for my baseline personality, but I found being a cheerful airhead to be the most convenient so I eventually settled on that. I was also aware of my looks, and took full advantage of them. Personality isn’t a single thing, it’s incident to one’s outwards appearance. This can be observed particularly strongly when guys are looking at girls. And the same manner of communication leaves a different impression on each recipient. There are words that can only be said and taboos that can only be broken in certain contexts. I steeled my intuition, put that theory into words, and changed it into something I could control.
Although my good cheer was initially an act, it eventually took root in my personality. In much the same way, my lost emotions initially felt like they were drifting gently in the air above me but eventually became the real thing.
My days became startlingly resplendent, and I was replete.
In my greed, I desired even more bliss. I decided to use my powers not just to change myself, but to influence those around me as well.
In retrospect, I was basically cheating by using it against adolescent girls whose egos hadn’t fully developed. My “communication” bordered on brainwashing.
Upon accepted my interference and my value system, it became easier for me to control someone. In middle school, I had a friend (or so she was perceived by those around us) named Youko who I knew so well I could basically control. She became an entity dedicated to my convenience, as if she lived solely for my sake.
I refer to people like her as having taken on my attribute.By using the information under my control, I can even manipulate them subconsciously. If I recite an incantation, they’ll go so far as to become my swords and shields.
That’s why I call it magic.
But ever since that incident, my magic had been getting cloudier. The incident involving a ceremony I couldn’t tell Kouta about.
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, it was an experiment.
I met this girl — I don’t know her name, so I’ll call her A — over the internet. I knew from her profile that she was interested in magic, so I took action. After exchanging LINE IDs with A, we immediately hit it off and began chatting nearly every day.
I had already experienced someone taking on my attribute at school. The next step was to find out how much control I could exert over a person, how much magic I could use, that I had only ever interacted with online. That was how greedy I was when it came to interpersonal relationships.
But the experiment ended in failure.
I had planned on controlling her by introducing her to my value system and sharing my magical delusions with her. But because I couldn’t meet her in person, small misalignments were born. My magic was imperfect.
One day, A invited me to a magical ceremony. While all this was going on, I was studying for high school entrance exams, and I declined her invitation because I had a test coming up. But perhaps the true reason I turned her down was because I sensed that her delusions were magnifying past the point of no return and becoming dangerous.
After conducting the ceremony on her own, something about A clearly seemed off. Her LINE messages became increasingly unintelligible, and when I expressed my confusion she became irritated, angry, disappointed, and ultimately ended up blocking me. Her social media profiles became full of citations in a language only she understood.
Then she stopped updating her social media altogether.
Worried about her, I took the train three hours to visit the middle school she went to. There, I soon discovered what had happened to her.
A had killed herself.
For the first time. For the first time, I began having misgivings about my magic. I had been manipulating people so casually, but was that really something so permissible? Wasn’t it wrong to change people like this? If I hadn’t been around, wouldn’t A still be alive?
Hesitations like that gradually chipped away at my magic. Magic became more powerful when you accepted it blindly, and weaker when you doubted it. No longer certain that I was in the right, I refrained from using magic and called myself a magus to anyone who would listen, only interacting with people who would approach me in spite of that.
But then I found out about Kouta Hiiragi.
He caught my attention from the moment I first laid eyes on him. As I watched him merge seamlessly into his environment, nearly transparent, I thought that he reminded me of mineral water.
Even if I was restraining myself from using magic, Kouta alone I couldn’t overlook. He was simply in too much danger. I don’t know how he looked to everyone else, but to me he looked like he was strolling down the streets of Johannesburg with rolls of banknotes pasted all over him.
I had to protect him!
I was overcome with a strong sense of duty. I willing to do whatever it took to protect him. It was so strong, I didn’t even mind if I had to offer him my chastity.
But taking a step back now and reconsidering, why had I been so fervent?
Once I got my thoughts in order, the cause became clear. After driving A to her death, I had likely been trying to atone. And Kouta had been a suitable individual. By saving Kouta, I could reaffirm both myself and my magic.
It was all for my own sake.
It was for my own ego.
I was well aware. I used my magic to manipulate others. But the one most strongly manipulated by magic was me. Even my personality had been created to suit magic’s needs. My very emotions turned according to magic’s convenience.
So I didn’t know any more.
Where did my true feelings lie?
“See you later, Kouta.”
I called out to Kouta from the hallway after school, then returned to my own classroom.
After I kissed Kouta, I couldn’t figure out how close we were. It wasn’t even clear whether or not we had broken up. I didn’t know if it was okay to walk home together with him, either.
On the other hand, it also wasn’t like he had completely cut off contact with me. No conclusion seemed forthcoming, and I put off reaching for one.
As someone who habitually made decisions quickly, this was a first for me.
“Say, Miki, did you by any chance break up with that guy from next door?”
Sayuri asked concernedly, wearing her trademark short skirt. I simply sat uncomfortably, which she mistook for an affirmation and pounded on my back.
“Well, I dunno who dumped who, but with your looks I’m sure you’ll have plenty of much better guys pounding at your door!”
“I think Kouta’s pretty good-looking, myself...”
That was my honest evaluation.
“Oh, no way. He’s totally normal. Bland. No personality. Below-average. And for him to break up with you so quickly, he must be a pretty shitty person. He’s worse than trash. I mean, that background character doesn’t even compare to someone like Makino.”
“I don’t even know Makino. And besides, Kouta and I didn’t break up. I think... probably...”
I realized my mistake the moment the words left my mouth. I’d said something that the love story-crazed Sayuri would be sure to latch on to.
“What’s up with you two!? Now you have to tell me everything! That’s it, how about you tell your favorite love expert the details?”
I mean, as far as I knew she had only ever dated one person, and she was still a virgin... No, there was no need to bring that up. Sayuri was always center of attention in our class, so she needed to be perceived as experienced in the ways of love. I shouldn’t say anything to shatter that image of hers.
I ended up attracting the interest of not just Sayuri, but most of the girls in class, so the whole matter took a good deal more time to resolve than I had expected. I was on edge because I didn’t want any strange rumors spreading around, and by the end of it all I was dead tired.
By the time I passed through the school gate, the sun had already almost set.
I had been hanging my head in exhaustion my entire way out, so it was by sheer coincidence that I lifted my head when I did and saw what I saw.
Kouta was with a girl from another school.
The aging coffee shop they went to was near the school, but drinks there were expensive and it wasn’t particularly stylish. Perhaps the conversations about romance I had been embroiled in were to blame for the fact that “affair” was the first word that sprung to my mind, and my face went bright pink.
But setting aside the prospect on affair, seeing the two of them side-by-side gave me an ominous premonition. And the girl was clearly being possessed by some manner of evil magic. It was hard to anything good coming of her interacting with Kouta as he was now.
But my legs simply trembled, refusing to take me to the coffee shop. No matter how much faith I had in my premonition, the courage to get involved refused to well forth.
Vexed at my own powerlessness, my eyes welled up with tears. What I really wanted to do was storm into that coffee shop this instant and protect Kouta from everything that might harm him.
What was so wrong about that?
The next day, Kouta had clearly undergone some manner of transformation.
Yahara was slowly corroding away at him. But a dead man’s magic can’t exert any new influence, so I hadn’t been treating it as an emergency.
But I had been mistaken. Yahara’s magic was stronger than I had imagined. And more importantly, its target had been Kouta, whose magic resistance was zero.
Kouta was completely submerged in the sorcery that was born from the ritual of his death.
What should I do? Kouta had already lost his confidence in me, so now that the issue had progressed this far it was difficult to imagine him listening to what I had to say. On the other hand, was it really for the best that I just leave him be? Would any actions I took to save him here simply be to fuel my own ego?
“You seem down again today, Miki. Probably have your head all full of that good-for-nothing guy Kouta, right?”
Sayuri’s quip came in an intentionally-bright tone. When I met her eyes and gave a small nod, she sighed exaggeratedly.
“...Say. You haven’t properly dumped him, and you haven’t been properly dumped, am I right? ...And, um, as an aside, I find Kouta’s worth as a guy to be deeply… deeply! Very deeply! Suspect! ...Suspect, but…”
She continued with a wry grin.
“If you like him so much, wouldn’t it best if you tried really hard to make up with him?”
“Eh?”
Like him?
I liked Kouta?
“You know, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on your whole situation-thing over there. Like, why things between you two keep getting so complicated. ...Say, Miki, you’ve never liked anyone before, right? This is just me guessing, but Kouta asked you out, and even though it was Kouta you didn’t hate the idea so you just kinda went along with it. Then, when he wanted to move the relationship along, your feelings still hadn’t caught up and you got all wishy-washy… and then he got all pissy, am I on the right track?”
I was impressed. There were a number of details she got wrong, but she had seen through to the essentials.
“You probably don’t understand your feelings yourself, huh, Miki. But see, using Makino as an example, you’ve rejected a bunch of guys before, right? But the only one you’ve gone out with is Kouta. That’s a pretty big jump, don’t you think? So I’m like, what if you just don’t know what it means to like someone?”
“...I don’t have any personal experience, but I think I have a pretty good idea from books and stuff. When you like someone, stuff like your chest getting tight, not being able to swallow when you’re eating, and being blind happen, right? But nothing like that’s happened to me. So I thought my feelings were something else…”
“Y’know, Miki, you’re really good at picking up on people’s true natures, right? Like, creepily good.”
I was startled at having that so suddenly pointed out. I didn’t think Sayuri had seen through me to that extent.
“Miki, the kind of like you’re talking about is probably just when you have illusions about the other party. Like, when you have an idealized version of someone in your head and you fall in love with that version. But when that happens, you’re not really looking at the real them. You’re just in love with the idea of being in love. But because you pick up on people’s true natures so easily, you don’t harbor illusions like that. I guess that makes you kind of a realist?”
“Does that mean I can’t fall in love?”
The creation of my very personality and emotions had been manipulated by magic. It couldn’t be helped if such impediments arose.
But Sayuri just shook her head.
“No, no, no. That kind of love is no more than kid’s play. It’s an egotistical, conceited kind of love. Even a love expert like myself had a phase like that. But every dreamer has to graduate from loving the idea of being in love. That kind of violent love never lasts long. But I think that even without those violent emotions, if you’re always, always always, thinking about that someone, then that’s already love in and of itself.”
I understood the words coming out of her mouth, but I couldn’t make them feel real.
So basically, I was already in love with Kouta?
“That’s…”
“Actually, maybe it doesn’t have to be that complicated? Falling in love is something you can only do if you want to. You couldn’t do it because you weren’t prepared yet. Does that make sense?”
“I’m really not sure it does…”
Sayuri took on a voice like she was gently teaching a child who was doing poorly in school.
“Okay, then let’s stop thinking about it all jumbled-up like that. Let’s just confirm something. Miki, what is it that you want to do for him?”
“That’s—”
It immediately came to mind.
I wanted to make him happy. I wanted to protect him from evil magi.
“Do you think about anyone else in the same way? Could you do the same things for them?”
Kouta was the only person I so desperately wanted to save. But that was because he was a special, transparent kind of person. It was because he didn’t have any magic resistance. ...Or so I had thought.
“Just do what you want to. Even if you end up being a bit of a nuisance, you’re cute enough that anyone would let you get away with it!”
“But…”
“No buts! Ahh, all this tedious blathering is so unlike you! Once the Miki I know has her mind set on something, she goes and does it! Where’d that assertiveness of your go?”
“T...that’s…”
“Ahh, I can’t hear you. Until Miki gets moving, I’m not talking to her anymore! That’s it, I’m done! I’m done being friends with her!”
Sayuri really was meddlesome, I thought, as she pushed me forward repeatedly after arbitrarily deciding that I was in love. But thanks to her fervent speech, I was finally sure of my feelings.
—No matter what, I couldn’t leave Kouta be like this!
That much I felt certain of. Whether or not it was my ego speaking, those were my true feelings.
Sorry, Kouta.
I can’t ignore these feelings of mine. No matter what!
As soon as break rolled around, I immediately headed for the next-door classroom. I had nothing even resembling a plan, but my magic should still have some efficacy. If I just talked with him face-to-face, I was sure I could come up with a way to save him!
I surveyed the classroom, but Kouta was nowhere to be seen.
What should I do? Should I wait for him…? Or should I go back after all…?
“Kouzuki. May I have a moment?”
As I hesitated, a skinny man in glasses called out to me. Though his glasses hid them somewhat, dark shades stood in sharp contrast on his face. Although we’d never spoken before, I knew him as the class representative who always instructed the class to take their seats in the mornings.
“It seems that you often visit our classroom with Hiiragi in mind. What I would like to inquire is, are you in fact his girlfriend?”
His hypocritical courtesy and peculiar manner of speaking where he didn’t allow his facial muscles to move made me wary. I was a magus, so he couldn’t fool me.
—This person was bad news.
How could I have not noticed such a blatantly evil person before? If he had always been this bad, I should have noticed his peculiarity like I did with Yahara and Matsumi-senpai and been on guard.
Had I simply overlooked him? ...Or perhaps, had he only recently become this way?
“I would appreciate it if you would answer my question.”
In my brooding I had completely forgotten to give an answer. As confused as I was, I tried to give as innocuous an answer as possible.
“Um, I’d say we’re really good friends… or something like that.”
“Is that so? However, would you not say that you harbor affection for him as a member of the opposite sex?”
It seemed impolite to me to ask such an intrusive question to somebody in your first proper conversation with them.
He didn’t seem timid in the slightest. But it seemed my displeasure made it across to him.
“That was rude of me. What I’m trying to ask is, why Hiiragi? That about sums it up.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m asking why it had to be him. He doesn’t have any particular talents, nor is he exceedingly attractive. Why are you so fixated on him, in spite of all that?”
Did he simply have romance on the mind, like Sayuri? ...No, there’s no way, right?
There was clearly some other motive behind his question.
I tried to get get a read on what it was, but because it was my first time talking to him I couldn’t get it from his expression alone.
I had a thought.
—I hate this person.
The reason I tried to tear Yahara and Matsumi-senpai away from Kouta was simply because they were dangerous. But I didn’t want to spend time around this guy for a simpler reason than that. I hated him.
“I don’t really see how that has anything to do with you, and I don’t really feel any obligation to answer that.”
“I see.”
The bespectacled man didn’t see overly concerned.
“Can I go now?”
“Ah, I apologize for keeping you.”
I turned away from him as if I were fleeing.
“Ah, my apologies. May I ask you one last question?”
Not hiding my displeasure as I turned around, I asked “What?”
“Do you believe that it is possible, simply from seemingly normal conversation and behaviour, to make others act according to one’s whim?”
Without thinking, my eyes widened.
—Could this guy know about magic?
The bespectacled man gazed interestedly at my panicked demeanor.
“...I think… it’s possible…”
“I see. Now I understand.”
He spoke almost in a whisper. Then he laughed eerily, to the point that I wasn’t sure how concerned I needed to be.
My mood worsening, I gave up on waiting for Kouta and fled the classroom.
Had he known about magic, and was investigating it? No… that wasn’t the impression I got. Then what in the world was he investigating?
But there was one thing I was certain of.
He too was a bad influence on Kouta.
Thanks to my unpleasant encounter with the bespectacled man, I was somewhat flustered. My sense of duty was flaring up as well, telling me that I had to do something about Kouta. All throughout class I found myself unable to think of anything else.
When lunch break came, I finally found Kouta in his classroom.
“Kouta! I, um… I have something I need to talk to you about!”
Kouta’s confusion was plain on his face. I couldn’t blame him; through yesterday, I had been respecting the distance we had placed between ourselves, and now I was acting all assertive all of a sudden.
After somehow convincing him, we made our way to the same courtyard as always. Between the lush trees and the increasingly-overgrown lawn, it seemed less likely than ever that we would be intruded upon.
“What was it you wanted to talk about, Miki?”
“There’s, um, something I really wanted to tell you…”
A phrase instantly sprung to mind.
I like you.
I was almost disappointed in myself. I was still being manipulated by magic. I knew that if I confessed to him like this, he wouldn’t be able to turn me down, which is why I decided to do it in the first place. It was just like when I kissed him.
Ahh… this was the first time I’ve ever resented magic.
But I stopped myself. I wanted to be sincere when I was with Kouta.
“I want to release you from this magic that’s nesting inside you.”
I knew that if I was so stupidly honest, there was a chance I would be rejected. But Kouta would accept it. To the very end, he would never reject me.
I was presumptuous.
This late in the game, I was still presumptuous.
“Just cut it out already.”
So even though I should have been able to anticipate his rebuttal, I couldn’t believe it.
“Miki, you’re full of yourself. You’re not even trying to understand how I feel. ...No, even if you understand how I feel, you’re still just trying to shove your own ego down my throat. I thought you’d been reflecting on that lately, but I guess I was wrong about that, huh.”
“...I, I have! But even so, I want to save you!”
“I’m not some tool you can use to reinforce your magic. And I’m not some pet you can use to stop being lonely, either.”
“I know that… or I thought I did, at least. But… Kouta, you’re in a really bad way right now! You’re getting stained in Yahara’s attribute, in a bad way, and it’s really dangerous! So I need to use my magic to—”
“Magic is just,”
He spoke with an exasperated look on his face.
“An illusion. It’s all in your head.”
That purposeful method of pushing people aside, of hurting them, of keeping one’s distance from them.
It was like he really was—
“I hold you in a bit of contempt now.”
Masato Yahara, wasn’t he.
He’ll just come hold you in contempt, and that’ll be that. Later.
It turned out exactly like he said it would.
Their speech patterns, their appearances, their magic, everything was lining up.
“Later.”
As if saying he didn’t want to even look at me any more, Kouta turned around and walked off in a flash.
I was left alone in the courtyard.
I was rejected?
—Right. I was rejected.
I was rejected so thoroughly as to fall into despair.
“...That’s weird.”
My magic existed just so I wouldn’t be rejected by others. My magic existed just so I could control others. Why so did this happen on account of my magic?
Why did the person I least wanted to be rejected by, reject me?
“...Uw…”
Sadness? Loneliness? Heartbreak? I threw out all those negative emotions at the very beginning. I thought the only emotions I had left were those that I could manipulate to my benefit. But then, what was this… They’re all still totally here.
“...Uwaa...Whaaaa…”
Tears were something for me to manipulate others with. One of the convenient tools at a woman’s disposal. But although I had believed that, tears were streaming down my face despite nobody else being around.
What was going on… Get a grip already… Why was I crying?
“Uwaa, whaaaaaaa!”
It wasn’t like I wanted to cry or anything!
After fleeing from the courtyard, I holed myself up in a stall in the girl’s bathroom. The bell for fifth period rang, but I couldn’t stop sobbing and simply stayed put.
My mind was in turmoil, but I tracked down the one calm part of myself and put it to use.
Even if Kouta ended up hating me, I wouldn’t suffer any lasting damage. If an influential girl like Sayuri started hating me it would likely affect the rest of my interpersonal relationships as well, but Kouta didn’t belong to any social circles in particular. In fact, due to his relationship with Yahara he was somewhat isolated.
Even if Kouta continued to be subsumed by Yahara, even if he passed the point of no return, it wasn’t my fault. If I hadn’t been around in the first place, the only thing that would have changed would have been him getting taken over by Yahara’s magic even sooner. It was completely different than my friend who had committed suicide.
Besides, why had I become so engrossed in Kouta in the first place?
I have this power. And even if they weren’t to Kouta’s extent, I’ve seen plenty of people in danger like he is. For example, that girl from another school that Kouta was with yesterday. But even knowing that, I never once thought to save them. For better or for worse, I’ve been pretty cold since I discovered magic.
Why was Kouta alone so special?
Why was I so willing to give him my first kiss, even though I would recoil at the thought of doing that with anyone else?
Why did it hurt this much to be rejected by him?
—Ahh, so that’s it.
I’m so stupid. It’s so simple. Anyone else would have realized it in an instant. Only I could have failed to see it.
I’ve been violated.
Violated by the most cliched magic imaginable.
The magic of love.
“But… I’m too late…!”
Why hadn’t I realized my feelings sooner? If I had been aware of how I felt, I’m sure I could have come up with any number of ways to get him to like me. There would have been any number of ways.
I hadn’t know what was driving me, so I hadn’t known how to manage it. It was just one failure after another.
The instant I realized what the true nature of my feelings was, the notion of “heartbreak” was born in my chest. It felt akin to the “loneliness” that had tormented me in the past, but the two were hardly comparable. I was furious. Furious at my inability to control my own emotions.
But for some reason, I felt happy as well.
I was happy that there was something that could move me to these lengths. Thank goodness that my emotions weren’t truly dead. Thank goodness that some parts of me were still human!
Ahh, who cares any more! Who cares that Kouta doesn’t have any magic resistance any more! Who cares that he’s being possessed by Yahara any more!
As long as I can keep being with Kouta from now on, who cares any more!
I wanted to devote myself to Kouta. I wanted to make him mine. I wanted to stain him in my attribute. Ahh, my heart was awash with my own selfish ego. So awash with selfishness I might even disappoint myself. But I couldn’t stop it!
Suddenly, the saying about how first loves are never fulfilled floated to my mind.
The first time I heard those words, I laughed with scorn. I’m a magus; I can control people without them even noticing it. If I were to ever fall in love, the thought of it ending in failure was laughable. I thought I’d just be able to seduce whoever I fell for at a whim.
And now look at me! How pathetic I am! How conceited I was!
“Uwaaa, whaaaaaaaaaa!”
I’m so sad!
How could I miss this once-in-a-lifetime shot?
I couldn’t just run home on account of having left my bag in the classroom, so I timed my return with the bell signalling the end of fifth period. My eyelids were puffy and red, so I was immediately grilled by my classmates.
After matter-of-factly tearing me away from the misfortune-starved horde, Sayuri dragged me back to the bathroom. The two of us entered a stall. After making me sit on the toilet seat, she leaned against the door and folded her arms.
“Let me guess, that ass Kouta dumped you, you finally realized that you’re in love with him, and you’ve been crying alone on the toilet for the past hour, right?”
“...Yeah.”
After making her promise not to repeat it to anyone, I told Sayuri everything. The face staring back at me from the mirror earlier looked like death, and Sayuri’s response after looking closely at it was—
“Ahahaha! So that’s it! You’re a riot!”
—irreverent laughter.
What was I to do? I was on the verge of livid. I, the supposedly emotionless heroine, had recalled not only how to get sad but also how to get angry.
“W...what are you laughing at!? I’m having an unrequited love over here! I’m so sad I’m bawling my eyes out over here! What’s wrong with you, Sayuri!? What, you want to go? Come on, let’s go!”
“Ahaha… Sorry, sorry! It’s just, you’re so innocent, Miki, it’s adorable…”
“Adorable!? I’ve had enough of this… I’m going to cast a spell on you that makes you unable to ever split your chopsticks cleanly…”
“I said I’m sorry for laughing! ...But isn’t it too early to call your love unrequited just yet?”
Unsatisfied, I spoke in a low voice, my face still twisted in anger.
“He said he held me in contempt, you know? Other than unrequited, what else could it possibly be…”
“I’m telling you, if he really didn’t want to go out with you any more, he would have said it differently. It’s proof that he just wants you to better yourself.”
Was it? Wasn’t it a matter of course that nobody who was that disappointed in me would ever want to go out with me?
“You were so unaware of your own feelings, all that the lucky guy you fell for heard from you was ‘I don’t really understand, but I want you to stay with me. I want you to put up with my selfishness. I want you to do as I say.’ And why do you think he was willing to do all that for you?”
After hearing it put that way, I was all the more impressed at Kouta for putting up with me for so long. It was no wonder he hated me now.
“...That’s, well, because Kouta is the kind of person who can’t reject anyone.”
“Nope. It’s because he’s interested in you.”
“What?”
That was too far out of left field.
“This is just my intuition talking, but Miki, did you by any chance have a bunch of male friends in middle school? You know, doing you favors and stuff?”
“I don’t know about favors, but I did have friends…”
As long as I had my magic, such a feat was simple. I had put a lot of effort into getting people under my control, male and female alike. I had long thought that my ability to do so was my one redeeming quality.
“You know, those guys were probably all into you!”
“Ehh…? Your logic’s getting a little shaky…”
“You really are blind to your whole sex appeal, aren’t you. I can definitely tell that you didn’t put much thought into romance up until now. Hmm… a quiz, then. What would you say is the kind of girl that guys are the most likely to fall for?”
“Huh? Umm… Someone who’s cute, mature, and respectful… and maybe good at cooking? And long hair is probably better. Anyways, that sort of girly girl, right? I don’t really fit the type, you know.”
“Well, a girly girl like that’ll be a hit with the guys for sure. But that’s not it. That type’ll be popular, but not the most popular. The most popular type is gonna be the type of girl whose looks are only so-so, is easy to talk to, who they can be themselves around, and who looks like they’re having a good time when they’re chatting. Other than the bit about the looks, it’s a description that fits you to a T.”
“You’re not just saying stuff to cheer me up, are you?”
“I’m as serious as can be. Girls are pretty much the same way, but guys don’t really go for girl who are out of their league. They fall for girls that they feel like they have a shot with. And you’re kind of a natural at provoking guys that way, Miki. You try so hard to make sure the people you interact with are having fun, it makes guys wonder if you might be into them. You’re a master at accidentally giving the wrong impression. The first time I met you, I wanted to kill you because I thought you were doing it on purpose.”
“You’re scary…”
“Wait a minute, haven’t you, like, had a bunch of guys confess to you?”
I was silent. I couldn’t refute it.
“So what’s up with that ‘I don’t know anything about love’ aura you give off? Anyways, you should be aware of how popular you are.”
“...Well, enough about me being popular—”
“I’ll kill you. Don’t go getting cocky on me. I’ll kill you.”
“Let me finish! Geez, the look in your eyes is scary! ...But even if I’m popular, that’s different from Kouta liking me, right? I’m pretty confident that he doesn’t seem me in a romantic light.”
“Maybe the two of you are more alike than you think. I’m pretty sure he holds you in good favor… Maybe he doesn’t realize it, either.”
...Now that she mentioned it, Kouta had a habit of avoiding self-reflection, so him being unaware of his feelings was only natural.
“And for that matter, he didn’t ignore you or anything even after you started acting all arrogant around him, right?”
Thinking back to how Kouta was originally, I mumbled, “I think so.”
“Then you got this in the bag.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Even though he might not realize it, it’s not your personality that’s annoying him so much. It’s not your selfishness. It’s what we were just talking about, how you don’t put things clearly. He’s mad because you properly said that you liked him.”
I wanted to tell her that there’s no way that was the case, but something Kouta had told me floated to mind.
I have to wonder, why do you spend so much time confirming my feelings without voicing your own even once?
“Even if Kouta’s like you were and doesn’t realize he’s in love with you, all you have to saying is something like ‘I like you so much I can’t leave you alone. I’m sorry.’ and he’d forgive you with a sappy look on his face. ‘Cause it’s pretty clear he definitely has feelings for you. Guys are pretty simple, you know, and they don’t really get hung up on the past. So you’ve got this in the bag. Or should I call it an easy win?”
I immediately wanted to rebut, saying that there was no way it could be that easy.
But when I ran a simulation inside my head, I felt like the result would be exactly as she predicted. I could almost imagine Kouta saying “It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” and forgiving me with a slightly flustered look on his face.
That was amazing.
Sayuri came up with an incantation to salvage a relationship that not even I could think of a way to like it was nothing.
I gazed at Sayuri with newfound respect.
“Sayuri, are you by any chance actually a powerful magus?”
I had thought that there was nothing I had left to learn from others when it came to communication.
“Magic? What are you going on about? Well, I guess it does make sense that you’d be no match for me, given that you’re just a little fledgeling when it comes to love and I’ve got love on the brain twenty-four seven.”
That… made sense. There was no way I could compare to a romance fanatic like her.
Sayuri gave my head a soft knock.
“Go get ‘em, Miki.”
“...Will do.”
It was possible that despite my preconceptions, magic wasn’t actually all that special. It was possible that others could use similar abilities.
It wasn’t that nobody else knew that magic existed. They just didn’t need to. After all, you can do things similar to magic without even noticing.
But… I still wanted to believe that my magic was special. I couldn’t so easily discard something that had supported me for so long.
There may well come a day when I find the degree to which I was obsessed with magic embarrassing, but that day is yet to come.
I still believed in my magic.
It was still something deeply important to me.
I decided to go see Kouta once school let out.
But thinking about it, it would be difficult to hold a normal conversation with him given how things ended last time. I had to resolve myself if I was going to be able to make up with him.
I had no choice but to confess my love for him.
Upon realizing this I began to lose my nerve a little, and the next-door classroom began to seem farther and farther away. No matter how many deeps breaths I took, my heart continued pounding away. My shoulders stiffened up from the stress, and I even began to feel a headache come on. After slapping my unobedient legs over and over, I finally reached the classroom.
Kouta wasn’t there. But his bag was, so it seemed likely that he’d be back for it soon. With some hesitation, I headed for his seat and sat down. I fell prostrate on the desk he used day in and day out.
That was all it took for my affection to start overflowing. Self-awareness. My heart felt so itchy that I wanted to scratch it. But at the same time it felt pleasant, like the blood pumping out of my heart was warmer than usual.
How odd. I hadn’t realized what these feelings were until today, and yet I was well past the point of doubting them.
I liked Kouta.
I liked Kouta a lot.
I would confess to him, and make a request. An egotistical request for him to become mine.
But who cared if it was egotistical.
I liked him, after all.
I loved him.
So he would forgive me, wouldn’t he? That was what love meant, wasn’t it?
In order to hide my giddy face, I lay even flatter on his desk. Kouta didn’t seem to be coming back, but I waited for him anyways.
I was so lost in the throngs of love that I had completely forgotten.
Kouta was on the verge of not being Kouta any more.
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